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Roadside Vegetation Management GOALS:

1. To ensure driver and pedestrian safety, a mowed safety lane shall be maintained in the
Right of Way (ROW) adjacent to each roadside. County employee safety shall include
equipment training sufficient to recognize and avoid dangerous slopes per specifications by
equipment manufacturer.

2. Public health & safety shall include protection of water resources from all herbicide
treatment.

3. Wherever possible in existing county roadside conditions, protect and enhance the life-
cycles of host and food plant sources for pollinators* especially in the spring and fall
seasons.

4. Roadway drainage ditches in the safety lane, Zone 1, shall be maintained as needed for
directional flow or detention. Zone 2 ditches outside the safety lane shall be mowed in the
dormant winter season and if necessary, mid-summer season per recommendations in
METHODS item D.

5. Roadway vegetation shall be managed and maintained in a cost-effective manner, such as

reduced mowing, and minimal herbicide spot-spraying, if any.

6. The Roadside Vegetation Management Steering Committee shall continue to assist county
staff with identifying priority protected areas to be mapped by Coastal Regional
Commission (CRC).

7. Just as residents and visitors may view roadside wildflowers, trash is often too
visible. To prevent the multiplication of mowed-over trash in the ROW resulting in
unnecessary additional work performed by Adopt-A-Mile volunteers, County staff shall
notify Keep McIntosh Beautiful several days in advance of scheduled mowing.

* Pollinators include wild bees, domestic bees, butterflies, especially the Monarch.

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Roadside Vegetation Management METHODS:

Identified and outlined below, shall support the Goals listed on page 1:

A) Locations:
Right of Way (ROW) along approximately 88 miles of McIntosh County Roads, shall be
subdivided for management purposes into two zones: Zone 1) Safety lanes measuring up to
fifteen feet wide flanking each roadside; and, Zone 2) Remaining balance of ROW, if any.

Existing priority plant communities within county ROW shall be identified by members of the
Steering Committee assisting the CRC for the purpose of creating a digital map of county
roads with locations of priority plant communities to be protected by signage to be determined,
for use by roadside vegetation management staff. Those communities that can’t be protected
shall be moved by volunteers to suitable ROW locations determined by the RVM Steering
Committee.

B) Reduced Mowing: Mowing in Zone 1 described below in D) will result in a reduction of total
area mowed during the year, at the same time allowing time for production of flowering
pollinator host and food plants in Zone 2.
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C) Herbicide Treatment: Broadcast herbicide treatment, being incompatible with growth

cycles of pollinator host and nectar plants, shall be prohibited on McIntosh County roadsides,
but shall be reviewable if necessary to prevent encumbrance by the McIntosh County Board of
Commissioners each year in the anniversary month of the date of approval and adoption by the
County Board.

Spot-spraying of herbicides shall be considered for application on hazardous steep grades and
in other locations inaccessible to vehicles, applied per county specifications and by trained,
county-approved applicators to prevent the monolithic effect of broadcast herbicide treatment.
Spot-spraying shall be limited to upland areas only and prohibited everywhere water may occur
including but not limited to open water, inter-tidal zones, and in ditches with standing water.

D) Recommended Mowing Periods for Roadside Vegetation Management

December 1 – February 28: Mow entire roadside ROW (Zones 1 & 2).

March 1 – November 30: Mow only road safety lanes. (Zone 1).

• Three species of milkweeds bloom early enough to support monarchs in our

region. The most important one, Sandhill Milkweed (Aesclepias humistrata)
emerges in March, hence the beginning of the no-mow schedule.

• The fall monarch migration begins along the coast of Georgia in August and
finishes the end of November. Nectar plants are needed during that time period.

• Two State level High Priority pitcherplant populations exist on a number of

McIntosh County roads. Road sections supporting pitcherplant populations will
be identified by the Steering Committee, and that information provided to the
county for digital mapping by CRC.

June 1 – July 31: Mow Zone 2 only if necessary for public safety during this period.

• This time period provides important nectar sources and host plants for local
pollinator species.

• Mowing at these times may still kill Monarchs but that mortality would be
reduced.

The above recommendations are based on:

• the life cycle (sprouts to seeds) of host plants for Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

• spring and summer nectar sources for local populations of pollinators

• fall nectar plants for migrating butterflies, including Monarchs.

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The above Goals and Methods are approved and recommended by the Roadside Vegetation
Management Steering Committee for adoption by the McIntosh County Board of
Commissioners.

RVM Steering Committee Members:

Christa Hayes, Ecologist

Shawn Jordan, Deputy County Manager

Roger Lotson, County Commissioner District 3

Steve Mellinger, Public Works Director

Davis Poole, County Commissioner At-Large

Mary Stimmel, Director, Keep McIntosh Beautiful

Mark Yeager, RVMS Committee Secretary

Patrick Zoucks, County Manager