Model Integrated Vegetation and Pest Management Policy
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Copyright IPM Associates, Inc. 1993-1996. All rights reserved. This document may be
freely printed, copied or redistributed as long as it is copied in its entirety with all headers,
trailers, credits, and other identifying information completely intact. 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 with graphics which are not included in this file. The graphics will be included in a future version of this document for on-line viewing. However, the complete hard copy version with graphics is available for a nominal shipping and handling charge. If interested, send a request to the IPMPA (see end of document to find out how to contact IPMPA)
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 - 4:05:45 PM
Source: IPM Access - An Integrated Pest Management Online Service
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