This publication provides basic technical support for new and existing Iowa county roadside programs. This manual is also intended to provide guidance to policymakers and engineers interested in adopting or expanding integrated roadside vegetation management in county rights-of-way.
Roadside
Establishment of Wildflower Islands to Enhance Roadside Health, Ecological Value, and Aesthetics: Phase II
This report from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln determines the seeding and mowing practices that effectively improve the health and variety of roadside plants in Nebraska.
Pollinators and Roadsides
These guidelines from the Xerces Society of Invertebrate Conservation provide a concise overview of the conservation potential of roadside habitat and offer practical information on how to maximize the value of these areas for pollinators while meeting basic traffic safety requirements.
Protecting Roadside Wildflowers
This website of the Florida Wildflower Foundation provides a model resolution that can be adopted by local governments to protect roadside wildflowers. The site includes step by step advice in working towards getting the resolution adopted. While the site is designed for the state of Florida, the resolution and advice are applicable to any state.
Monarch Butterflies, Weeds, and Herbicides
This guide by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation highlights best management practices to reduce the impacts of herbicides on monarchs.
How Engineers and Roadside Vegetation Managers Maintain Vegetation in Iowa, USA
This article surveys county engineers and roadside managers who manage vegetation in Iowa to assess how they maintain roadside vegetation.
Regional Guides for Pollinator Habitat Conservation Along Roadways
These guides, created by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, instruct transportation agencies in 16 U.S. regions on how to establish pollinator habitats along roadway rights-of-way, including regulatory overviews, planning considerations, decision-support tools, cost-benefit analyses, monitoring strategies, and case studies.
Roadside Weeds, Brush, and Erosion
This white paper from the University of Northern Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairie Center describes how counties and cities can manage roadside weeds, brush, and erosion to create safe and healthy roadsides and roads.
Promoting Native Roadside Plant Communities and Ensuring Successful Vegetation Establishment Practices
This study by the Virginia Transportation Research Council reviews the effectiveness Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)’s roadside vegetation establishment practices and provides recommendations on how to explore opportunities to improve understanding of procedural policy and implement procedural improvements, including revision of VDOT’s Roadside Development Sheets and testing native plants for suitability for placement alongside Virginia’s roads.
Comparison of Cost, Safety, and Environmental Benefits of Routine Mowing and Managed Succession of Roadside Vegetation
This document from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute provides guidance for roadside vegetation management to identify the cost, safety, and environmental impacts of routine mowing compared with managed succession of vegetation for areas outside the safety clear zone.