Model Integrated Vegetation and Pest Management Policy
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Copyright IPM Associates, Inc. 1993-1996. All rights reserved.
This document may be
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It is intended as a
model document to aid organizations in producing their own similar
materials and in that
regard may be used as such.
NOTE: The original version of this document is supplemented
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SECTION 1: PURPOSE
1.0. This policy provides implementation guidelines for departments and
contractors that are directly involved with managing vegetation and
pests or the planning, design, and construction of new and rebuilt
landscapes and facilities.
1.1. This policy provides administrative guidelines for staff and
committees that are indirectly involved with vegetation and pest
management.
1.2. This policy provides an example in implementing IPM programs
and informing staff and and the public about IPM principles.
SECTION 2: PRINCIPLES/PHILOSOPHY
2.0. --Organization's Name-- will manage vegetation and pests
in a manner that:
- utilizes an ecological approach;
- minimizes the use of pesticides;
- minimizes risk to human health and the environment;
- considers community values in establishing standards of
maintenance for --Group Name-- properties; and
- determines cost-effectiveness using life-cycle costing.
2.1. Implementation of this policy shall be coordinated with affected --Organization's
Name-- policies and department programs.
2.2. Affected departments and contractors shall follow --Organization's
Name-- pesticide use procedures.
2.3. --Organization's Name-- shall provide on-going staff
training to facilitate effective implementation of this policy.
2.4. --Organization's Name-- shall promote development and
implementation of landscape designs that are not only aesthetic and
functional, but also provide opportunities for ecological approaches to
and cost-effective management of vegetation and pests.
2.5. --Organization's Name-- shall provide opportunities for
(public) education regarding the use of ecologically sound methods of
vegetation and pest management.
SECTION 3: DEFINITIONS
3.0. Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Integrated Pest
Management is an ecological approach to suppressing pest populations
(i.e., weeds, insects, diseases, etc.) in which all necessary
techniques are consolidated in a unified program, so that pests are
kept at acceptable levels in effective, economical, and environmentally
safe ways. Because pest problems are often symptomatic of ecological
imbalances, the goal is to attempt to plan and manage ecosystems to
prevent organisms from becoming pests.
The components of an IPM program are:
- Injury and Action Levels
- A. Injury level refers to the point in growth of a vegetation
or pest problem where it will cause an unacceptable impact on: public
safety, recreation, or health; natural and/or managed ecosystems;
aesthetic values; economic injury to desirable plants; or the
integrity, function, or service life of facilities.
- B. Action level is the level of development of a vegetation
or pest population at a specific site at which action must be taken to
prevent the population from reaching the injury level.
- Selection of optimal strategies. The criteria for
selecting treatment tactics and developing pest management strategies
include:
- A. Least disruptive of natural controls;
- B. Least hazardous to human health;
- C. Minimizes negative impacts to non-target organisms;
- D. Least damaging to the general environment;
- E. Best preserves natural or managed ecosystem;
- F. Most likely to produce long-term reductions in pest
control requirements;
- G. Effective implementation is operationally feasible;
- H. Cost-effectiveness in the short and long term.
- Timing. Involves applying a treatment action during the
most vulnerable time in the life cycle of the vegetation or pest with
the least impact on natural predators and/or other non-target
organisms.
- Monitoring. Involves the regular surveying of sites and/or
features to understand and identify the location and extent of
potential pest management problems.
- Record-keeping. Involves maintenance of written records of
specific pest management factors observed during monitoring,
information on labor and materials used in implementation of the IPM
program, results of applied pest management strategies, and
comprehensive data on pesticide applications.
- Evaluation. Involves analysis of treatment strategies and
prescriptions to help determine the effectiveness of the control
program. These records are useful in developing future pest management
plans.
3.1. IPM Prescriptions - Integrated pest control or eradication
plans that are specific to a variety of pest management situations
and/or pests and vegetation; these plans are based on the principles of
IPM.
3.2. IPM Programs - Agency, Division, Department, and/or
Operational Section level programs which are designed and developed to
implement the Integrated Vegetation and Pest Management Policy;
individual programs are geared to the specific administrative and
operational requirements and responsibilities of that specific working
group.
3.3. Pest - Any organism, including weeds, insects,
diseases, etc., which by the situation or size of its population
adversely interferes with the aesthetic, health, environmental,
functional, or economic goals of humans.
3.4. Pesticide - Any substance registered by the U.S.
government as a pesticide.
SECTION 4: REGULATORY CONTEXT
4.0. --Organization's Name--, including all of its departments
and contractors, shall be aware of and comply with all laws,
regulations, bylaws, and policies that are directly or indirectly
related to vegetation and pest management operations.
SECTION 5: IPM PROGRAMS
5.0. --Organization's Name-- departments directly involved with
managing vegetation and pests will implement and evaluate IPM programs
in accordance with the requirements of this policy. These IPM programs
shall include:
- Maintenance management guidelines, procedures, standards, and IPM
prescriptions;
- An inventory of all sites and features and estimates of their
annual labor and material requirements;
- A record-keeping and monitoring system; and
- IPM program implementation timetable, strategy, and costs.
5.1. --Organization's Name-- departments involved with the
development, review, and implementation of landscape and facility
designs will implement and evaluate IPM programs in accordance with the
requirements of this policy. These programs shall include:
- Landscape and facility design and construction criteria and
standards that promote cost-effective and ecologically sound management
of landscape vegetation and pests;
- A record-keeping system for program implementation and
evaluation;
- A landscape and facility design and construction review process
that includes --Organization's Name-- landscape maintenance staff;
- An IPM program implementation timetable, strategy, and costs.
SECTION 6: ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
6.0. Landscape Supervisor
The Landscape Supervisor will :
- Coordinate compliance of --Organization's Name-- IPM
landscape management program with applicable laws, rules, regulations,
and policies;
- Assist with the development of landscape and engineering design
and construction criteria for use in landscape and facility development
projects;
- Coordinate the development and implementation of --Organization's
Name-- landscape IPM program with any other vegetation and pest
management operations;
- Perform research needed to facilitate implementation of the
landscape IPM program;
- Assist with the development and implementation of a (public)
education program for promoting an understanding of --Organization's
Name-- utilization of ecologically sound methods of vegetation and
pest management;
- Assist with evaluation of --Organization's Name-- IPM
Policy and the landscape IPM program, including preparation of an
annual report;
- Monitor for new and modified legislation and regulations that
will require adjustments to --Organization's Name-- landscape
IPM program.
6.1. Other Supervisors/Managers involved directly or indirectly with
vegetation and pest management
- As above as relates to their specific work.
6.2. The IPM Coordinating Committee [e.g., composed of Board members,
administrative and operational lead staff, public, and student
representative(s)]
- Decide whether to reject or recommend approval of IPM programs,
IPM prescriptions, and requested pesticides using the following
criteria:
- Principles of IPM;
- The pest and vegetation management problem has been assessed
and control is deemed necessary;
- The use of a pesticide is a necessary element of
prescriptions that utilize these chemicals; and
- The risk to public health and the environment is shown to be
minimal.
- Evaluate, approve, and rank all pesticide products proposed for
use by --Organization's Name-- departments. The criteria used for
approval and ranking of the pesticide formulation shall include:
- Prescription evaluation, including: application methods,
scale of application, elements of exposure, buffer zones;
- Registration by the EPA;
- Adverse human health effects (quality and quantity of data);
- Animal data (quality and quantity of data);
- Mobility and persistence in the environment;
- Potential impact to non-target organisms;
- Inert ingredients;
- Data gaps; and
- Pesticide classification.
- Provide annual review, evaluation, and recommendations for
modification of utility-wide IPM Policy, utility-wide IPM program, and
department IPM programs.
Figure 1. Routine IPM Prescriptions Approval Process
Flow Chart of Decision Process
(Determined by Roles & Responsibilities Identified in Policy)
Figure 2. Pesticide Approval Process
Flow Chart of Decision Process
(Determined by Roles & Responsibilities Identified in Policy)
Figure 3. Special/Emergency IPM Prescriptions Approval Process
Flow Chart of Decision Process
(Determined by Roles & Responsibilities Identified in Policy)
Figure 4. IPM Program Approval Process
Flow Chart of Decision Process
(Determined by Roles & Responsibilities Identified in Policy)
Last Modified: Friday, June 28, 1996
[updated 1/5/07]
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