Rail & Railroad Vegetation Management

Railroad vegetation management is a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of the transportation industry. As daily commuters or long-distance passengers, we may take for granted the fact that the railroads we travel on are constantly being maintained to ensure safe and efficient travel. However, it is important to understand the vital role that railroad vegetation management plays in protecting both people and infrastructure.

Uncontrolled vegetation can pose a significant threat to railroad tracks, equipment, and schedules, as well as pose dangers to individuals at crossings and other locations. In addition, it can disrupt drainage pathways, cause wheel slippage, and even create fire hazards. Therefore, it is essential that railroad companies engage in ongoing vegetation management efforts in order to safeguard against these potential risks.

Overall, railroad vegetation management serves to protect people and infrastructure, while also striving to maintain a balance with the surrounding environment and natural resources. It is a vital component of ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the railroads we rely on.

Brush Control / Woody Vegetation

Brush Control programs are designed to maintain railway systems by addressing vegetation issues that can impact visibility, train safety, and natural landscapes. These programs involve spraying large tree branches, small brush, and invasive weeds, while also encouraging the growth of low-growing grass.

Chemical Trim / Side Trimming

Vegetation near tracks can be strategically sprayed to provide "Chemical Trimming", which is intended to prevent regrowth. Specialized vehicles and spray trucks are utilized to apply herbicides to control weeds and branches extending into the right of way. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to maintain clear communication and signal lines, ensure safety around signs, signals, switches, and crossings, and preserve natural landscapes along the tracks.

Vegetation Control Supports Public Safety

To ensure the safety of the public, rail employees, transport operations and the environment, VegClear undertakes comprehensive scheduled vegetation management programs across many of the Southeast region's rail networks. Left uncontrolled, vegetation can hinder the proper inspection of track infrastructure and the railway roadbed and create an unsafe environments. It can also pose safety hazards such as impaired visibility of train signals, impaired sight lines at railway crossings and increase the risk of trackside fires.

VegClear follows the applicable standards and rules set by the respective client's regulatory body, which generally require railways to maintain free-draining ballast (the track bed on which railroad ties are laid) area and ensure certified track inspectors can properly assess the condition of rail infrastructure.

VegClear's vegetation management programs encompass two primary aspects that support safe railway operations and reduce hazards:

Routine herbicide treatment of the ballast to facilitate required track inspections, decrease the likelihood of wild fires, and promote a safe walking area for our employees while inspecting trains. The chemical trim of trees, shrubs and brush to ensure train crews can see railway signals and to reduce the risk of trees and limbs falling onto railway or neighboring property. Appropriate vegetation management also includes addressing vegetation around public and private crossings to allow motorists and pedestrians to see approaching trains.

Routine Herbicide Programs Address Overgrowth

Crossing clearing programs aim to improve safety by eliminating tall vegetation that obstructs the vision of drivers or pedestrians at crossings, while also allowing the growth of low-growing grasses that prevent erosion and discourage the growth of tall-growing species. Certified arborists may be called upon to cut large trees to improve visibility and reduce the risk of falling branches during storms. New fencing may also be installed to prevent trespassing on tracks.

Railroad tracks often provide a conducive environment for plant growth, as they are built on soil, rocks, and stones that support vegetation. This growth can be persistent, spreading across tracks and making them impassable without continuous vegetation management. Without proper vegetation management, railroads in the US and around the world could come to a standstill, causing significant disruption to society.

Additionally, in the context of railway property, we ensure that vegetation on or near the railway track is managed in a way that prevents it from becoming a fire hazard to track-carrying structures, obstructing the visibility of railway signs and signals, interfering with railway employees' duties, obstructing signal and communication lines, or hindering visual inspections of moving equipment by railway employees.

Kudzu: The Invasive Vine That Needs to be Controlled on Railroad Property

Kudzu (Pueraria Montana) is a semi-woody, trailing or climbing, perennial invasive vine native to Eastern continents and has grown largely uncontrolled across Georgia and the eastern US since its introduction. It was initially deemed an erosion controller. Many decades later it became, and is currently known, as quite the opposite. Due to its smothering capabilities, naturally attacking native vegetation, kudzu causes enormous damage to Georgia Commercial Property, the Southeast US, and Midwest terrain. Read on for a discussion of the various methods of controlling kudzu on industrial property, the best time to apply herbicide in Georgia for maximum control, and the importance of industrial vegetation management contractors working together.

Mechanical and Chemical Control Methods for Kudzu in Railroad Tracks, Shoulders and Switchyard Facilities

Controlling kudzu along railroads and around switchyard facilities can be challenging using mechanical methods alone. While mowing and cutting can be effective, every vine must be cut to the ground and repeated cutting must be done until the plant no longer regrows. This can take up to three years of repeated cutting during peak heat throughout Georgia summers, making it difficult for mowers and line trimmers to completely remove the vine. To achieve long-term control, a supplemental, aggressive yet environmentally responsible, commercial herbicide application program is usually necessary.

Optimal Timing for Commercial Herbicide Treatment

For effective foliar (leaf/spray) contact treatments, optimal spray application timing is in the late summer and early fall in Georgia and most Southeastern US climates. However, a single annual treatment is usually insufficient for long term control. It is best to treat kudzu in the late spring or early summer after the leaves have fully sprouted, and then schedule a follow up application with a second treatment in the late summer or early fall to target new growth that has emerged after the first weed killer application treatment. This two-step approach is more effective than waiting until late summer to start a control program. To ensure maximum effectiveness, herbicides are strategically applied to newer growth as these leaves are the most absorbent on the vine and carry the chemicals systemically to the roots.

As a railroad track right of way manager or switchyard facilities supervisor, it is essential to have an effective vegetation control and specifically, a kudzu eradication program, in place. By using both mechanical and chemical control methods, and following optimal timing for herbicide treatments, you can effectively control kudzu on commercial property you’re responsible for and prevent it from causing damage to your infrastructure.

How Many Herbicide Treatments Completely Kill Kudzu on tracks in Georgia?

While herbicides on the market today may not completely eradicate kudzu with a single application, our industrial vegetation management experts recommend specific active ingredients for strategically timed repeat treatments to effectively kill younger, smaller growth, when it’s most susceptible to herbicide effects. It's important to note that older kudzu growth may require several years of herbicide treatment for complete eradication, and consistent application during the growing season is crucial for optimal results.

It's also important to identify the location of older plants after the initial treatment and if possible mechanically remove them and/or treat them using the cut stump method with a special oil based mixture of herbicide.

For railroad rights of way, kudzu can be particularly problematic as it can quickly overtake the tracks and obstruct visibility. Proper vegetation management is essential for maintaining safe and efficient rail operations. Trust VegClear's industrial vegetation management experts to provide effective kudzu control solutions for your business. Contact us today to learn more.

Using Geographic Information System (GIS) for Kudzu Control on Railroad and Industrial Rights of Way

The application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be highly beneficial in managing vegetation, including controlling kudzu, on railroad and industrial rights of way. With GIS, kudzu infestations can be easily mapped and identified, the effectiveness of control measures can be monitored, and the potential risk of kudzu to specific areas can be assessed and abated with professional herbicide applications.

For Effective Kudzu Control, Hire Industrial Vegetation Management Contractors

To effectively eradicate kudzu from your commercial site, it is best to work with a competent and experienced industrial vegetation management contractor. Professional mechanical contractors offer surface preparation services like bush hogging, erosion & sediment control, and Right of Way Clearing (mowing), which can provide efficient and professional kudzu elimination along rail road tracks and throughout rail road property. They use various mechanical methods to remove kudzu safely and effectively. VegClear crews follow up by strategically applying herbicides to ensure long-term kudzu control. Whether using clearing buckets, cut stubble crew herbicides, or remote control bush hog services, a qualified vegetation management contractor can help ensure the complete removal of kudzu from your industrial rights of way, while keeping in mind that it is a long term endeavor.