General Herbicide Use
Chemical control of invasive plants and animals will only be used when other methods are determined to be ineffective or would create greater environmental impacts than chemical control. Herbicide use will be evaluated on a project-by-project basis, with consideration of (and preference given toward) IPM strategies wherever possible. See University of California statewide IPM Program for guidance documents (http://ipm.ucanr.edu/index.html). Broadcast spraying, including the use of aerial drones, may be used if it provides greater application accuracy and access. Any chemical considered for control of invasive species must be approved for use in California; its application must adhere to all regulations, in accordance with the California Environmental Protection Agency (CEPA 2011 or most recent version); and it must be applied by a licensed applicator under all necessary state and local permits. Herbicides will be used only in a context where all treatments are considered, and various methods are used individually or in concert to maximize the benefits while reducing undesirable effects and applying the lowest legal effective application rate, unless site-specific analysis determines that a lower rate is needed to reduce nontarget impacts. Only the minimum area necessary for effective control will be treated. Whenever feasible, reduce vegetation biomass by mowing, cutting, or grubbing it before applying herbicide to reduce the amount of herbicide needed. Within 25 feet of any Water of the US, only formulations approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for aquatic use will be used. Soil-activated herbicides can be applied as long as directions on the label are followed.
To limit the opportunity for surface water contamination with herbicide use, all projects will have a minimum buffer for ground-based broadcast application of 100 feet, and the minimum buffer with a backpack sprayer is 15 feet (aerial application is not included in the Proposed Action).
The licensed Applicator will follow recommendations for all California restrictions, including wind speed, rainfall, temperature inversion, and ground moisture for each herbicide used. In addition, herbicides will not be applied when rain is forecast to occur within 24 hours, or during a rain event or other adverse weather conditions (e.g., snow, fog).
Herbicide adjuvants are limited to water or nontoxic or practically nontoxic vegetable oils and agriculturally registered, food grade colorants (e.g., Dynamark U.V. [red or blue], Aquamark blue, or Hi-Light blue) to be used to detect drift or other unintended exposure to waterways.
Any herbicides will be transported to and from the worksite in tightly sealed waterproof carrying containers. The licensed Applicator will carry a spill cleanup kit. Should a spill occur, people will be kept away from affected areas until clean-up is complete. Herbicides will be mixed more than 150 feet, as practicable, from any water of the state to minimize the risk of an accidental discharge. Impervious material will be placed beneath mixing areas in such a manner as to contain any spills associated with mixing/refilling.