Notice: Spray notification to apply Lifeline on gravel walking paths at the Mace Ranch Passive Recreation Area and the North Davis Uplands Open Space Area. The walking paths in the habitat areas are gravel over compacted dirt and have become overgrown with vegetation during the winter and spring. Mowing or string trimming are not reliable ways to manage the vegetation because they leave the plants and actually promote new growth on the grasses. It is also hard on equipment and operators to mow/trim over gravel because the small rocks get thrown around. The spraying will take place during operational hours on January 27, 2022, weather permitting.
Locations to spray: All gravel paths at the Mace Ranch Passive Recreation Area and North Davis Uplands Open Space Area
Pesticides: Lifeline Glufosinate-ammonium
Target Pests: Various grasses and forbs in the walking paths.
Methods Used and Strategies to Prevent Future Use: This proposed application is part of the overall integrated pest management of the site. The City currently employs almost exclusively non-chemical control measures at the site including mowing, trimming, hoeing, hand-pulling and solarization. Staff found last year that solarization is not an effective method to control vegetation on the paths because the gravel interferes with the process of heating the soil.
Lifeline herbicide is considered an alternative to the use of glyphosate or a similar chemical that would typically be recommended for this application.
The primary strategy to prevent future herbicide applications is to manage the seeds of the desirable vegetation and prevent infestation of the walking paths. This will be hard to do and may require at least one annual Lifeline application each year.
More information on the IPM Program, including the current Policies and Procedures guidance, can be found on the city's webpage: Integrated Pest Management
