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UVM: Accelerating Cost Reductions
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It’s not news to anyone in the business, but vegetation management can be a significant line item in a utility’s operational budget. Why? Because trees and brush keep growing, labor expenses keep rising, and equipment needs maintenance and replacement.
But does it have to be that way? A large and established body of peer-reviewed and industry-accepted research says no. And while taking the first steps may require planning and investment on the part of the utility or contractor, the payoff makes the effort and expense well worth it.
“Because utilities likely own, or have contractors who own, mechanical weed- and brush-control equipment such as tractors and mowers, mechanical control methods seem easy, fast and inexpensive,” says Darrell Russell, market development specialist, Corteva Agriscience. “But the challenge for vegetation managers and the people they report to is to look three, five, even 10 years down the road, beyond the immediate impacts. That is where significant cost reductions can be found.”
But the challenge is how, when and where to start. That’s where the RestorixSM Regenerative Right-of-Way Management System from Corteva Agriscience comes in. Restorix harnesses the proven capabilities of integrated vegetation management and combines that with expert-level consultation and a prescriptive program of selective herbicides and application methods to put utilities on the path toward lower expenses, lower carbon emissions, reduced labor requirements and improved native habitat.
Proven Effective, Proven Results
“We already know how an IVM program can help suppress undesirable vegetation,” Russell says. “By allowing native groundcovers to flourish, undesirable trees and brush are effectively crowded out of the seedbed. But as that groundcover becomes more established, fewer undesirable stems emerge and less mowing and fewer chemical applications are required to keep stem counts down, so the cost reductions can accelerate the longer the utility maintains the program.”
That assertion is backed by accepted industry research performed by John Goodfellow in his study, “The Cost Efficiency of IVM: A Comparison of Vegetation Management Strategies for Utility Rights-of-Way.” In this study, Goodfellow notes:
“Findings from least cost analysis present a compelling case for the economic benefit of an IVM-based ROW maintenance strategy. A vegetation management strategy based on the use of IVM, which includes integration of mechanical and herbicide-based prescriptions, is consistently and convincingly less costly than repeated treatments using only manual and mechanical techniques. This holds true in all situations: when the efficacy of mowing was exaggerated; when the efficacy of herbicides was minimized; when the cycle length was shortened or lengthened; and when action thresholds based on [minimum vegetation clearance distance] were used. In addition to lower costs, the IVM strategy demonstrated lower risk (i.e., lower maximum height) between treatments.”
But the Restorix system is more than just an IVM program.
“Restorix gives utilities the performance and reliability of Corteva selective herbicides, the in-field expertise of Corteva vegetation management specialists, and a prescription that fits their specific needs and goals,” Russell says. “So, for utilities interested in maximizing their VM investment, Restorix makes a lot of sense.”
If you’d like to learn more about the Restorix Regenerative Right-of-Way Management System, vist Corteva.us/Restorix, or contact your local Corteva vegetation management specialist.
Vistas®
For over 30 years, Vistas® has covered strategies, trends and stories from across the Vegetation Management industry.