ROW Invasive Vegetation Management
The client entered into right-of-way (ROW) agreements with the National Park Service, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Bureau of Forestry to upgrade the transmission line across public lands. The agencies required the development of post-construction invasive vegetation management and control plans that target undesired plant species, long-term monitoring and mapping of target vegetation within the ROW, and subsequent control and eradication of target vegetation using selective and species-specific approaches.
Kleinschmidt’s Water & Willow has been able to directly provide environmental management services to the client by combining the expertise of our ecologists with the expertise of our licensed herbicide application contractor, Solitude Lake Management, to develop species-specific control plans based on plant physiology, time of year, level of effort, herbicide label guidelines, sustainability requirements, and other factors. Following the development of the management plans and subsequent agency approval, our ecologists have begun to implement annual invasive vegetation mapping surveys to locate target species and then provide construction management services to oversee the treatment contractor’s activities on behalf of the client.
Working through this design/build contracting model, Kleinschmidt is able to provide the client with a one-stop shop for the invasive vegetation control needs. Our ecologists supported the client as the agencies reviewed and approved the respective management plans, collected the mapping information needed to support annual reporting and adaptive management efforts, and then managed the hiring, supervision, and performance of treatment contractor, thereby saving the client time and effort that would have otherwise been required on their part.