WSDOT and Roadside Vegetation Management

WTC has worked for many years to reduce the amount of herbicides used along our state highways by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).

Most recently this work has been in conjunction with community members from the no-spray counties of Island, Clallam, and Jefferson. Beginning in 2003, we met with WSDOT staff membeers and management to encourage them to revisit their use of herbicides along state highways. As a result of these meetings and other work, WSDOT began to re-evaluate some of their pesticide use and to experiment with non-toxic roadside vegetation management methods. In recent years they have begun again to reduce their herbicide use statewide and have several areas of roadside that are not sprayed or are sprayed less often. While we are continuing to work with community members around the state and the WSDOT to further reduce roadside herbicide use, these are important steps toward making our roadsides safe and healthy for our environment and communities.

To read more about what community members from Island County have to say on this work, you can read their article here.

For more information about WSDOT’s roadsides program, see www.wsdot.wa.gov.