Multiple entities and departments are responsible for different parts and areas of the City, including greenbelts, neighborhoods and open spaces. Areas of responsibility for weed management in the City include: Community Development, Parks and Community Services and Public Works Utilities and Operations.
While weeds sprout up in the landscaping across the City every year, an abundance of rainfall in the winter and spring will lead to more vigorous and denser weed growth. This in turn increases the effort required to mange the landscape.
Weed maintenance contractors and staff work hard to control weeds across the City in a manner that has the least impact to people, wildlife and water quality. However, the sheer size of the service area makes it an impossibility to manage all weeds, in all locations, at all times. Integrated Pest Management staff is working on the development of site management plans for high traffic or highly visual areas to include: seasonal weed growth and proposed timing for each control methods (mechanical, chemical, cultural, & biological), targeting weed species when they are at their most vulnerable (during the growing stage primarily).
Strategies by Public Works Utilities and Operations
The City continues to employ the assistance of a landscape contractor (Brightview) that uses multiple teams to conduct mowing/weeding and targeted pesticide applications within parks, street medians and greenbelts across the City. City staff are also conducting weed control in areas not serviced by Brightview.
A full set of weed control methods are utilized by our maintenance teams including mechanical, cultural, biological and, when necessary, least toxic chemical control methods. Herbicide is used carefully in street medians and around utility sites. Mowing, string trimming and mulch applications are used five days per week starting in the winter. Sheep grazing is also used to help control vegetation in stormwater conveyance facilities during the spring and summer months.
Additional interventions include:
- Reducing seed set through well-timed herbicide applications (either with pre- or post-emergent products), site removal of vegetative cuttings when practical or imperative, mulch raking and replenishment in landscape beds to disrupt germinating seedlings.
- Monitoring effectiveness of herbicide applications by tracking effectiveness of herbicide applications for sites on targeted weed species. This includes discontinuing or rotating products to achieve desired weed control.
- Adjusting irrigation rates and identifying irrigation sites with excess weed growth to adjust irrigation practices.
Strategies by the Open Space Program
Staff mows trail edges along all of the City’s Open Space sites regularly starting in March to keep weeds (especially foxtails) away from the publicly accessible areas and reduce fire hazard. Staff also works to control several priority weed species (ex. yellow star thistle and perennial pepperweed) throughout all of our sites using a combination of IPM techniques. Sheep grazing is also used here to help control unwanted vegetation in open space and habitat areas by removing thatch accumulation, recycling nutrients, and stimulating regrowth of native grasses.
Strategies by Parks and Community Services
The Parks and Community Services Department staff and contractors currently utilize a variety of mechanical, cultural and chemical means to abate weeds.
- Mechanical weed control are physical activities that inhibits unwanted plant growth. Mechanical or manual weed control techniques include physical methods to help remove or make the growing conditions unfavorable. These methods can include mowing, string trimming and others.
- Cultural weed control are practices that help vegetation be more competitive against weeds or maintain vegetation conditions so weeds are less likely to become established and/or increase in number. Some examples of general cultural weed control include hand pulling, mulching, cultivation, goats/sheep or volunteer assistance and site removal of vegetative cuttings when practical or imperative.
- Chemical weed control, where appropriate per the City's IPM policy, may be utilized to control problematic weeds and increase durations between necessary treatments of landscaped areas. Well-timed herbicide applications (either with pre- or post-emergent products), can help prevent seed production and spread of weeds.
- Contract services are also utilized by vendors such as Brightview with the intent of mobilizing areas where service requests have been received and are high priority.
Contact
If there is an area of concern for residents, please submit a service request through the My Davis website at: www.cityofdavis.org/how-do-i/make-a-service-request. This is a 24/7 reporting system that will automatically be sent to the right department and staff and you even receive a tracking number with an estimated resolution timeline.
You can also download the app through the Apple Store or the Google Play Store. You can also email: pwweb@cityofdavis.org or parksmakelifebetter@cityofdavis.org.
