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County Road Crew, shame on you. The recent roadside herbicide application on the Tiller Trail Highway and the South Umpqua River Road was overly zealous and done without much fore-thought.
Several years ago, volunteers worked cooperatively with the Federal Highway Administration in celebration of Public Lands Day to restore a wayside with native vegetation along the Tiller Trail Highway. We worked with both Pacific Power Company and the Federal Highway Administration to make sure the vegetation we planted was not within power lines nor would interfere with highway safety. We planted native shrubs like manzanita and big leaf maple as well as conifers. Many community members diligently watered the trees over the years throughout our droughty summers keep them growing.
This wayside at Perkins’ Point was looking beautiful. The trees and shrubs were beginning to establish themselves quite well. This spring, the county road crew came along and thoughtlessly sprayed the trees, killing them with herbicides. Now, I understand the need to keep our roads safe, but this was not necessary. In addition, a sidewalk in Tiller that was also restored with native vegetation and maintained by local volunteers was also sprayed. This is a sidewalk used by many, including children who are known to stop and pick the blackberries in the late summer.
This action has also created a corridor of browned roadside vegetation that has already become a fire hazard as the summer progresses.
Hey guys, next year maybe you can treat these sensitive areas manually with the County Corrections Crew or others. Too bad, it’s too late now for all those trees and shrubs that were just getting established and looking so good.
Shame on you County Road Crew!
Chris Rusch
Tiller
Several years ago, volunteers worked cooperatively with the Federal Highway Administration in celebration of Public Lands Day to restore a wayside with native vegetation along the Tiller Trail Highway. We worked with both Pacific Power Company and the Federal Highway Administration to make sure the vegetation we planted was not within power lines nor would interfere with highway safety. We planted native shrubs like manzanita and big leaf maple as well as conifers. Many community members diligently watered the trees over the years throughout our droughty summers keep them growing.
This wayside at Perkins’ Point was looking beautiful. The trees and shrubs were beginning to establish themselves quite well. This spring, the county road crew came along and thoughtlessly sprayed the trees, killing them with herbicides. Now, I understand the need to keep our roads safe, but this was not necessary. In addition, a sidewalk in Tiller that was also restored with native vegetation and maintained by local volunteers was also sprayed. This is a sidewalk used by many, including children who are known to stop and pick the blackberries in the late summer.
This action has also created a corridor of browned roadside vegetation that has already become a fire hazard as the summer progresses.
Hey guys, next year maybe you can treat these sensitive areas manually with the County Corrections Crew or others. Too bad, it’s too late now for all those trees and shrubs that were just getting established and looking so good.
Shame on you County Road Crew!
Chris Rusch
Tiller
