The UDOT maintenance division is using an Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management (IRVM) approach to roadside maintenance. IRVM is a decision-making and quality-management process for maintaining roadside vegetation that includes the following:

• needs of local communities and highway users
  
• knowledge of plant ecology (and plant processes)
  
• design, construction, and maintenance considerations
  
• monitoring and evaluation procedures
  
• government statutes and regulations technology

These are integrated with cultural, biological, mechanical, and chemical pest control methods to economically manage roadsides for safety as well as environmental and visual quality.

IRVM is a spin-off of the integrated pest management (IPM) concept used in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry. IPM is a coordinated decision-making and action process that uses the most appropriate pest control methods and strategies in an environmentally and economically sound manner to meet management objectives.

The UDOT maintenance division is a strong advocate of wildlife habitat preservation. At the same time the division is doing all it can to keep unwanted foreign plants from getting a stronghold in Utah.

Please visit the Web page listed below to learn more about roadsides and how wildlife habitat is preserved. Visit the “Weeds in Utah” page to learn about the weeds that pose the biggest threat to our natural Utah plant growth.

Ira Bickford
Roadside Vegetation Manager
801.580-6637
ibickford@utah.gov