Alternatives to Spraying Roadsides & Utility Lines with Toxic Pesticides

It has been brought to my attention that I am thus far extremely guilty of NOT providing any alternative solutions to the problem I am calling attention to. In this post, I will share some alternative ways to maintain public roads and utility lines without the consistent use of toxic chemical pesticides.

1. Asplundh and other arborists can leave some or all of the mulch on-site to suppress weeds. It only takes 2" of mulch to suppress weed seeds in a landscape bed. Asplundh and other roadside-cleanup contractors remove tons of brush and often turn it to mulch on-site in order to condense it for transportation. This mulch gets disposed of in various ways, but instead could be left on-site to suppress weeds in areas that threaten to grow too brushy. This is especially the case for brush from allelopathic species such as black walnut trees. If used even lightly, the Juglone toxin in the mulch of the black walnut wood will stop virtually anything from growing.

2. Individuals and communities already have the power to maintain their own roadways, however there are no incentives for them to do so. Tax breaks or other incentives could be given to property owners who maintain their own roadsides and eliminate invasive species on their properties. This way, communities who want to switch to No-Spray could see real benefits for doing so. "Show me the incentive, and I'll show you the outcome." -Charlie Munger

   
   

3. Put powerlines underground. This is no cheap fix, but this is the way of the future. When my electricity is out, I can still use my landline. This is because telephone lines run underground now, rather than above ground via telephone pole as they did throughout history. An investment into underground electric lines would pay off in time since they will prevent week-long power outages that require out-of-state restoration teams, as well as the existing costly maintenance techniques. No longer would they need to attach chainsaws to helicopters and stop traffic to maintain 50 ft high powerlines. Also, what an attractive world it might be without power lines tainting every single scenic view. Citizens does not need a "No Spray List" because all of their lines run underground. I admit that there are many reasons this has not occurred on a large scale yet, but it seems that the benefits of such change could justify the means.

These are only the first three of hundreds of examples to come, of ways that we can transition away from the frequent use of toxic pesticides on our public spaces.