Bare Ground Vegetation Control on Commercial Sites in Michigan

Bare ground vegetation control is used on a variety of commercial sites for multiple reasons. Facilities that use bare ground vegetation control include:

• Natural gas storage facilities
• Cellphone tower base sites
• Parking lots
• Propane storage areas
• Natural gas substations
• Gravel and access road areas around solar farms
• The bases of electric generating windmills
• Electrical substations
• Gas refineries
• Fence lines
• Airports
• Railroad right-of-ways

Vegetation control is used most often in gravel or paved areas in and around commercial and utility support sites. Gravel is the preferred ground surface within the fenced areas at many of these locations. The main reason is that operators find it preferrable or even essential to keep vegetation growth to an absolute minimum at these sites, and gravel is a cost-effective medium that can both support the owner/operator’s maintenance activities and minimize the opportunity for vegetation growth. Even so, there are still some more resilient plants that can grow and thrive in paved or gravel site conditions.

Depending on the particular activities of the site, vegetation growth can present a variety of safety issues for the owner/operator to be concerned with, but the primary reasons for gravel around many these places and why vegetation control is so important is that of fire protection and minimizing the risk to the functioning of the utility support location. These concerns are valid for all such sites, but especially for those that do not maintain regular staff who can monitor for such issues. Given the commercial value of such locations, preventing such risks from the growth of vegetation is a necessity for maintaining optimal operating conditions and should be a priority for facility managers.

Having overgrown vegetation at utility support sites can pose a fire risk due to the vegetation dying and drying out either in winter or in extended dry conditions. A spark from a lightning strike or a cigarette butt thrown from the road or a passing person striking such dried or dead vegetation can cause a quickly spreading brush fire and adversely affect utility supply due to damage to the facility, especially at those sites that do not have personnel present who might take immediate action.

Another safety issue with overgrown vegetation is for security and visibility at the support site. These sites are fenced off to keep the staff and public safe and protect the reliability of the utility network. Overgrown vegetation causes a visibility issue making it difficult to observe the site and make sure that there are no unauthorized people inside the fence. Overgrown vegetation also can attract wildlife inside the fence thus causing a hazard for staff or potential damage to equipment, and then the potential need to take animal control measures.

Despite the gravel, there are some more resilient plants that can grow and thrive in gravel conditions. Some vegetation, such as the invasive phragmites plant, can grow in gravel ground conditions. The most effective way in controlling unwanted vegetation at substations is using a targeted herbicide application specifically formulated to both control the current vegetation growing and include a pre-emergent to prevent new growth.

Using chemical vegetation control methods is a better option than only manual mechanical control methods. Multiple factors demonstrate this, including cost, manpower and long term control/effectiveness.

For site managers the cost to maintain their utility support sites is a major factor in deciding upon a vegetation control method. Of the methods available, using only manual mechanical control is generally the more costly option. The manpower and equipment needed to do this work is costly and not always practical for some site conditions. When relying on only mechanical control, multiple follow up visits may be required in one growing season, depending on the species of vegetation that has established itself and the weather conditions.

Use of chemical vegetation control in conjunction with mechanical control methods is often a more cost effective option for multiple reasons. A chemical vegetation treatment lasts longer than just mechanical method, such as mowing with a track mounted mowing deck or drum unit. A chemical vegetation treatment visit can generally cover more area in one visit than a mowing unit can.

Vegetation control herbicides, applied by properly trained and licensed commercial pesticide applicators, are very effective in controlling the vegetation present and slow down or prevent future establishment and growth of vegetation later in the growing season, which mowing alone cannot do. Utilizing the two control methods gives the best possible control, depending on the target vegetation, rather than only using one method.

Some non-desirable plants require a two-pronged approach for long term control. A combination of an initial mowing visit to expose the base of the plants, followed up with a chemical vegetation control spray on the now exposed base of plants, is the most effective means for certain types of vegetation. Other troublesome plants can be better controlled when sprayed before mowing. Site visits to positively ID the target plants is the only way to be sure what control method will work for your site.

Owen Tree and Lawn Care has treated all types of commercial and utility support sites throughout the lower peninsula of Michigan. If you need bare ground vegetation control, drop us a message or give us a call at 800-724-6680 to schedule a site visit so we can customize a treatment plan for your site.