Shelby County Conservation Board
Roadside Vegetation Management
Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management (IRVM) is a long term approach to evaluating, developing, improving and maintaining vegetation on road rights of ways. The ultimate purpose of any Roadside Vegetation Management program is to provide a safe and healthy roadway, and to improve aesthetics along the county's secondary road system. IRVM is a program for accomplishing these objectives in the most economically and environmentally responsible manner possible. It is based on two principles:
1. Refining the use of herbicides, so that the chemicals we use have the greatest effect on the target species and the least effect on desirable vegetation and ground water.
2. Preventing weeds through species competition by planting the species best suited to each site.
The IRVM program is based on the belief that every county's approximately 4,000 acres of rights-of-way represent a significant resource worth managing by the most sustainable methods possible to the greatest benefit to the county.
Key Benefits - LONG RANGE, OVERALL GOALS:
 | Provide the public a safe travel environment |
| Comply with Iowa noxious weed law |
| Improve public relations and educate landowners |
| Apply botanical, chemical and mechanical knowledge and technology to maintenance and beautification of county roads |
| Reduce the amount of chemicals used |
| Reduce roadside maintenance costs |
| Prevent weeds by planting the best species in each situation using primarily native species |
| Control brush |
| Improve groundwater quality |
| Reduce erosion |
| Enhance wildlife habitat |
Roadside manager Bryce Schaben seeding native plants east of Earling.
[_private/navbar.htm]