Aerial herbicide application is the quickest, most economical, and highly efficient delivery system to control brush acres on a utility right-of-way over a given lifetime. Here at Noxious Vegetation Control, it is one of our specialties.
The Problem
Over the last several years, there have been many changes though out the utility industry. Vegetation management budgets have continued to decline, staff has declines, managers have been asked to do more with less, and most importantly… right-of-way miles have continued to grow.
Budgets for maintaining vegetation have declined because of new construction, the need to pay investors dividends, reallocation of funds, and to provide a positive financial image to the industry. Staff has decreased in numbers due to utility reorganization, early retirement, accepting new positions, and downsizing. All of these factors play a role to some extend in vegetation management budgets.
This leaves managers with less resources and more responsibility. Part of this burden has been eased by technological advancements allowing reduced operating costs, but managers still must balance work and office duties, maintain crew integrity, program future work, and evaluate returned results.
All the while, the vegetation in every ROW continues to grow. The floor gains innumerable stems per acre, forest edges continue to encroach, access becomes more difficult and the outage possibility increases every day. All these points cost your utility in the long run. Because of reduced budgets, less staff, increased work responsibilities, and vegetation growth the management problem compounds itself.
The Solution
Consider starting an aerial herbicide application program. Aerial application is the most economical application technique in the industry. It helps ease the burden of reduced staff because one helicopter, over a short period of time, can cover and area that would take 10-20 ground crews to complete. It decreases work responsibilities because NOVCO has a full time forestry staff that works very closely with helicopter crews. It decreases treatment work over time with proper application rotations of 3-5 years.
- Most Economical Technique
- Quickest Application
- 4 acres in 7 minutes
- Chemical Side Trimming
- Easily Covers Inaccessible Areas/Rough Terrain
Aerial Herbicide Application is the most economical herbicide application tool, and the proof is in our results, costs, and long term customers.
Long Term Results
- Suggested Rotation for Aerial Herbicide Application is 3-5 years.
- Many sites can exceed 5 years with selective chemistry.
- With extended rotation, the cost savings increase over time.
Aerial Application Allows for Many Acres in a Short Time Period
- Areas of Neglect
- Catch up on lost rotation acres inexpensively
- Capital Clearing
Encroaching Right-of-way
- With the proper chemistry, you have the ability to chemically side trim the ROW with aerial application
- Other methods of chemical vegetation management will not keep the sidewalls from encroaching into the ROW over a rotation cycle.
Rough Terrain
- All systems have areas that are difficult, if not impossible, to reach.
- These areas are expensive to reach on the ground
- Terrain and accessibility are not a factor with aerial application.
- Keeping these areas open increases reliability and response time.