30 Nowak and Ballard: Applying Integrated Vegetation Management on Rights-of-Way underscores integration of steps and emphasizes continual self-improvement. • We focus on the elements and information that are to be integrated into the system with each step. This idea of “integration” is critical, yet it seems to be overlooked in most portrayals of IPM and IVM. Each of our steps provides information that needs to be integrated into the system. Failure to integrate any one element in a step could prevent the development of a fully function- ing management system. In this paper, we present a working framework for an IVM system using a cyclical series of six steps. Each step and its accompanying description are meant to promote broad considerations for ecological, environmental, economic, and social opportunities and constraints for vegetation manage- ment. We outline general concepts and cite key references for each step. Specific methods for each step should be devel- oped by the reader through further study and practice. Also, the reader should recognize that the steps are a simplification of what is an extremely complex system. It is, after all, this complexity that requires professionals to conduct IVM. Because the electric utility industry has led the develop- ment of IVM and is rich with documented effort in all steps, we provide references that are mostly related to vegetation management on electric transmission line ROWs. More general references are provided when ROW experience is lacking. While we focus the paper on the electric utility industry, it must be recognized that this systematic approach of IVM is applicable to all systems, including ROWs, where plants are pests. Our goal with this paper is to provide a useful frame- work to foster assessment and application of IVM. Organi- zations and people may then better assess their actions and understand how to more fully apply and communicate about IVM. A STEPWISE SYSTEM TO INTEGRATED VEGETATION MANAGEMENT ON ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION LINE RIGHTS-OF-WAY Step 1: Understanding Pest and Ecosystem Dynamics A first step to conducting IVM is to develop a working knowledge of the organisms in the managed system and how they interact with each other and the environment, with or without vegetation management, to produce ecosystem conditions. ROW vegetation management necessarily puts a focus on controlling vegetation condi- tions, but all organisms affected by management should be considered. Basic knowledge of plants and animals is critical, starting with species identification through to understanding life histories (reproduction, growth, and ©2005 International Society of Arboriculture longevity), plant strategies, and responses to disturbance (Wagner and Zasada 1991). In plant-dominated systems, changes in distribution and abundance of plants through time and space (referred to as plant succession for communities) must be understood (Niering 1958; Bramble 1980; Niering 1987; Luken 1990). Plants and plant communities are manipulated to control the rate and direction of plant succession via control of various mechanisms, such as interference and herbivory. Vegetation management affects these and other mechanisms by changing plant community composition and structure through type, timing, intensity, and scale of disturbance, which affect interference patterns and wildlife habitat. Models that describe these interactions and outcomes (e.g., see Bramble et al. 1991) are useful in portraying vegetation dynamics with different types of management, and in planning and communicating with stakeholders. Step 2: Setting Management Objectives and Tolerance Levels Step 2 is where people first fully enter the cycle of IVM. Although IVM is challenging and potentially complex, managers must articulate objectives and tolerance levels of a multitude of stakeholders, as well as ecological and engi- neering constraints. Transmission of electricity exacts very specific requirements so that safety and reliability of service is maintained—no tall-growing trees under or near the conductors. The type of vegetation or other land uses that can occur may vary considerably from one location to the next. People, or, more specifically, stakeholders, can participate in deciding what type of ROW condition is satisfactory to them. Stakeholders include vegetation management profession- als responsible for management decisions on a particular ROW, landowners of the ROW or adjacent properties, governmental regulators responsible for administering state and federal policies and laws, and nongovernmental organizations with a general concern for the environment. In addition to viewing powerline corridors for the transport of electricity, stakeholders value these types of ROWs for wildlife habitat, recreation opportunities, and conservation (Niering 1958; Glaholt et al. 1995; Hay and Mohrman 1995). All stakeholders need to be engaged in the process of developing management objectives, framing the issues, and providing perspectives and opinions (Buchanan 1995; Clark et al. 1995; Johnstone 1995; Shupe et al. 1997). Stakeholders are often concerned with risks to human health and well-being associated with treatment of ROW vegetation, particularly with herbicides (Wagner 1994; Norris et al. 2002). ROW vegetation managers must learn to recognize and acknowledge needs of other interested parties and adjust management to accommodate where possible. However, it is rare that all parties can be satisfied in
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