ISA offers a variety of educational materials and products to help arborists improve their arboricultural knowledge and experience. Every month we will feature a product or group of products. This month ISA is featuring the Best Management Practices – Integrated Vegetation Management, Third Edition by Randall Miller.

The Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) Best Management Practices (BMP) provides practitioners with the most appropriate IVM techniques utilized by industry experts. It covers IVM implementation, the IVM process, control methods, economic viability, and social sustainability. The publication also includes appendices on electric utility, pipeline, railway, and roadway IVM, as well as environmental stewardship, soils and herbicides as they pertain to IVM. Additionally, an accompanying quiz may be purchased to earn a CEU ( A, U, M, Bm).

This new edition of the BMP provides greater emphasis on environmental stewardship, particularly biological control methods. “Biological controls have always been promoted as the most desirable methods wherever possible,” said Miller. “However, in this new edition, the environmental and economic benefits of biological control are emphasized to a far greater degree.”

In addition to being brought in line with the principles and criterion in the Right-of-Way Stewardship Council’s (ROWSC) Accreditation Standards, other changes to this edition include a presentation of planning on two levels—management and maintenance.

Management planning is long-term and strategic, while maintenance planning is shorter term and tactical,” said Miller. “Management plans are comprised of a programmatic overview, which includes vision, mission and value statements, general descriptions of the area under management (e.g., land use and infrastructure attributes), specifications, tolerance levels, action thresholds, communication protocols, quality assurance and control practices, and strategic outcomes that govern maintenance level objectives. Vegetation maintenance plans establish objectives for desired outcomes on a project level. Maintenance plans are precise and explain exactly what needs to be done, who needs to do it, and where.”

Miller said that although IVM practitioners will benefit most from the new BMP, any vegetation management stakeholder will gain from understanding best practices. “For example, property owners across whose land IVM is being conducted will find comfort from understanding that the work on their land is being conducted responsibly,” he said.

The IVM BMP emphasizes a science-based, environmentally-sound, cost-effective approach to integrated vegetation management Miller said. When properly applied vegetation management benefits from a business perspective, environmental perspective, and a social perspective.

Check out this product and more at the ISA Store and order your copy today.