Vehicles are notorious vectors for spreading weed seeds. Consider Franklin County's roadsides as the front line in the War on Weeds.
In 2013, the Franklin County Noxious Weed Control Board began spraying a large portion of county roadsides in an interlocal agreement with the Franklin County Public Works Department. The Weed Board spray crew took on more county roadsides the following year, and by 2015 had taken on all roadside herbicide applications for Public Works.
Weed Board spray crews now annually target the roadsides of more than 560 miles of paved roads and 420 miles of gravel roads -- a total of nearly 2,000 shoulder miles.
Using two 1,500 gallon spray trucks and a 500 gallon spray truck -- each refilled by a 3,500 gallon water tanker -- the efficient crew can spray as many as 200 miles of road shoulders in a single day.
Herbicide mixes are selected for their effectiveness with careful consideration of area crops and other non-target vegetation.
Each year Weed Board crews complete herbicide applications on nearly 2,000 shoulder miles of roads.
Program coordinator Todd Harris explains our roadside spray program in this YouTube video.
Copyright © 2019 Franklin County Noxious Weed Control Board - All Rights Reserved.