In 2017 the City Council approved a significant policy and procedures update to the City's Integrated Pest Management Program. The policy was developed with the guidance of public input, through community workshops, and meetings with the Natural Resource Commission (NRC) Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, as well as the Open Space and Habitat Commission, the Tree Commission, and the Recreation and Parks Commission.

The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) policy is intended to provide a basis for a pest management program that will protect public health, as well as water quality, and non-target plants and animals. The goal of the City’s IPM policy is to utilize the most environmentally sound approaches to pest management, and to reduce the volume and toxicity of chemical pest control treatments. This means that all pest and weed control activities by the City of Davis, including activities at public buildings and related facilities; grounds and open space; urban forestry; and other property owned or managed by the City of Davis and conducted by City staff and/or contractors must now follow the IPM policy. 

In implementing this IPM policy, the City will give preference to reasonable non-pesticide alternatives, especially in popular and highly frequented areas, including parks and greenbelts. The IPM policy also reduces or eliminates pesticides that pose known significant human or animal health, or environmental risks based on the best available scientific information.

For more information about the IPM policy, click here.

For Your Information

The City has banned the use of glyphosate (also known by the brand name Round-up), and it is only applied with City Manager’s approval in areas that have limited public access. The City has been following Round-Up’s reformulation and will evaluate its new product once it is released for sale. The decision to mostly stop the use of glyphosate was supported by the Natural Resources Commission and at the City’s Council’s direction.

The City, via its pesticide consultant, have come up with a list of tier 2 and tier 3 herbicide products, and they have been approved for use. They are safer than glyphosate, which is listed as a tier 1 product.

The City of Davis is in line with other cities in California with similar goals of reducing overall pesticide usage.

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 and Sustainability Department
  
  Open Space Division:  South Fork Preserve, Putah Creek Park Way, Wildhorse and El Macero Agricultural buffers, Willow bank, Lincoln Hwy, John Jones Water tank, Mace Ranch Passive Recreation Area, F and Anderson, and other properties.
  
  Contact:
  530-757-5610
  cddweb@cityofdavis.org

• Parks and Community Services Department
  
  Parks Division: Parks, playgrounds and greenbelts, streetscapes and medians, downtown landscaping, pools, Playfields Sport Complex.
  
  Contact:
  530-757-5656
  parksmakelifebetter@cityofdavis.org

• Public Works Utilities & Operations Department
  
  Transportation Division: Roadside weed abatement, bike lane maintenance and bulb-outs weed control.
  Stormwater Division: Channels, retention ponds, drainage ditches and pumping facilities.
  Wastewater Division: Treatment Plant, Davis Wetlands, lift stations and sewer line root control.
  
  Contact:
  530-757-5686
  pwweb@cityofdavis.org

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 (CD), Parks and Community Services (PCS) and Public Works Utilities and Operations (PWUO).

An abundance of rainfall this last winter and later into the spring has helped to support another healthy weed population throughout the City. 

Strategies by Public Works Utilities and Operations

The City continues to employ the assistance of a landscape contractor (Brightview) who 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. 

An arsenal of weed control methods are utilized by our maintenance teams including mechanical, cultural, biological and, when necessary, least toxic chemical control methods. Herbicide was used widely in street medians this spring which has helped reduce weed growth in those areas. Mowing and string trimming have been occurring 5 days per week since winter. Mulch applications are also happening on a near daily basis. Sheep grazing will be used to help control vegetation in stormwater conveyance facilities and open space and habitat areas in the coming weeks.     

Additional interventions include:

• Reducing seed set through well time herbicide applications (either with pre- or post- emergent products), site removal of vegetative cuttings when practical or imperative, & fluff with a rake and/or replenish mulched 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.

Staff is mowing trail edges along all of the City’s Open Space sites regularly since March to keep weeds (especially foxtail) away from the public areas. Fire abatement mowing is also underway. Staff is also working on several priority weed species throughout all of our sites using a combination of IPM techniques. 

Weed maintenance contractors and staff are working hard to control weeds across the City in a manner that has the least impact to people, wildlife and water quality. However, the weed growth remains vigorous and it will take some time to catch up. 

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, & 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 Parks and Community Services

The PCS Department is currently utilizing a variety of mechanical, cultural and chemical means to abate weeds, as well as using contract services. 

• 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, weedeating and others.
• Cultural weed control are practices that help vegetation be more competitive against weeds, or maintains 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.
• Chemical weed control, where appropriate per the City's IPM policy, may be utilized to increase durations between necessary treatments of landscaped areas. 
• 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.

2023 Weed Strategy

The City's Parks and Community Services Department is currently using contract crews on an alternating mowing/weeding schedule. For example, the NW crew is mowing this week while the SE crew is completing weed abatement services. Brightview, a contractor, will also be utilizing one staff member for weed abatement services with their mow crew.  All of these services will be mechanical means of weed removals.  

Parks staff have also been working with Brightview to designate areas for chemical applications, following the City’s protocols. The weather has prevented the City from completing many of these applications, so weeding (string and hand trimming) and mulching have continued to be the primary methods we use. Brightview will also perform another application in the city medians, including but not limited to: 2nd street, Moore Blvd, Lake Blvd, Drummond and Cowell Blvd at Playfields. 

City staff are continuing to work in teams to address weed abatement needs in the community parks and adjacent greenbelts. We piloted using torching in some of our DG picnic areas last year and had some success in doing so, so we will be utilizing this again this year as well. 

We are also using Yolo County Probation to complete weed abatement throughout the City, in large areas like the Putah Creek bike path. 

On a fun note - the City is exploring the possibility of incorporating grazing sheep into our weed abatement program, if appropriate.

July 1, 2022 Update

Since the last weeds update two weeks ago, City staff and contract crews have been very busy. 

Parks staff weeded Walnut Park, Community Park, Arroyo Park, Manor Pool, Arroyo Pool and Community Pool. Contract crews completed an herbicide application on Russell Blvd, from Highway 113 to B Street, and along Pole Line Road and weeded Arlington Blvd, Russell Blvd, Lake Blvd, Shasta Avenue, Wildhorse Community, Alhambra Drive, Richards Blvd, Denali Drive and Drummond Avenue. Yolo County Probation weeded at Walnut Park, concentrating around the walkways and paths inside the park and around the picnic areas. Mowing will continue to take place throughout the City by Parks staff and contract crews on a weekly basis.

In addition, our Public Works Utilities and Operations staff mowed areas on the West side of the City limit, including part of Covell Blvd. to Lake Blvd., and the access road at Howat Ranch off of County Road 105. 

City staff are working diligently to address the issue of weeds to help keep our community beautiful and healthy. Thank you for your patience. 

June 17, 2022 Update

The City hired two extra contract crews that started June 1st. In the last 2 and 1/2 weeks, these contract crews and City staff applied vetted herbicide on the medians at F Street, Pole Line Road, Covell Street and Mace Blvd. They also did mechanical weed abatement work in the North Davis greenbelt and the South Davis/Putah Creek paths.

City staff also whacked the weeds around Evergreen Detention Stormwater Basin and station and mowed the slopes and access road on the Mace Channel. Weeds were also removed in the asphalt on Montgomery, just west of Cottonwood Drive.

Additional Weed Strategics

The City of Davis is working diligently to implement a variety of actions in the spring and summer of 2022 to abate the current weed issue with current resources and new approaches. The following is a list of what is expected: 

• Prioritize high touch and high visibility areas, including streetscapes
• Use vetted herbicide at medians and low use areas
• Reevaluate the schedule in which entities (i.e. Open Space, Parks and Community Services, Public Works: Utilities and Operations, others) are abating weeds, especially in the same general areas. Currently, each entity has a different schedule.
• Work with contractor to clean up weeds, such as the foxtails on the Greenbelt
• Redirect resources within Parks and Community Services to assist in weed abatement
• Hire an additional contract crew to help with priority areas
• Create additional volunteer events providing residents with opportunities to assist with abatement or clean up in their neighborhood
• Connect with Yolo County’s Alternative Sentencing Program in the Probation Department to perform additional landscape maintenance work in Davis; this program provides community work in lieu of incarceration

Residents should see an improvement and some of the work happening as early as late May or early June of 2022. We appreciate the patience of the community as staff continue this work.

In addition to the short term strategies that will immediately address the current weeds, additional strategies will be employed for long term management of this issue. The following is a list of what is expected: 

• Employ pre-emergence herbicide 2-3 times a year to prevent growth in the future
• Create management plans with scopes of work for community areas, prioritizing greenbelts first

It’s important to note that even with all of these strategies in place, there will be areas that get missed and it takes time; everything can’t get done all at once. Especially when a number of departments manage many areas of parks and open spaces. Communication is important, especially hearing from the public. The City depends on residents to relay which areas need immediate attention and to bring it to the attention of City staff. 

Make a Service Request

Did you know that the City has the My Davis app for the community to submit service requests? Access it here or download the app to your smartphone!

My Davis allows anyone to create a City service request in many categories including reports about weeds. When reporting the location, please be as specific as possible (identifying cross streets or landmarks) to ensure that the City can locate the area. You can also take photos and attach it to the request. 

Volunteer

There are many volunteer opportunities for residents to get involved and help enhance community programs and beautify the city, including cleaning up weeds. Opportunities include ‘Adopting a Park’, ‘Davis Picks It Up,’ and other small group custom projects. To learn more, visit: www.cityofdavis.org/volunteer.

Mulching

Mulching is one of the simplest and most beneficial practices you can use in the garden. Mulch is defined as a protective layer of material that is spread on the top of soil.

Mulch comes in two different types: organic and inorganic. Some examples of organic mulch are grass clippings, straw and bark chips. Inorganic mulches include stones, bark chips and plastic.

Either type of mulch will provide these benefits:

• Protect the soil from erosion
• Reduce compaction from the impact of heavy rains
• Conserve moisture, reducing water use
• Maintain a more even soil temperature
• Prevent weed growth
• Keep fruits and vegetables clean
• Keep feet clean, allowing easy access to the garden even when it is damp
• Provide a “finished” look to the garden

Organic mulch also improves the condition of the soil. As the mulch slowly decomposes, it provides organic matter which helps keep the soil loose. Loose soil improves root growth, increases the infiltration of water and also improves water-holding capacity of the soil. Organic matter is a source of plant nutrients and it also provides an ideal environment for earthworms and other beneficial soil organisms.

Inorganic mulches have their place in certain landscapes, but they do lack the soil improving properties of the organic mulch. Due to the persistence of inorganic mulch, it may be difficult to remove if you decide to change your garden at a later date.

Newspaper Mulching

This is another way to mulch that is highly effective, non-toxic way to subdue annual grasses and weeds. 

First, wet the soil. Then lay thick layers of overlapping newspaper. Wet the newspaper to keep it in place.	Then apply organic mulch.	For tougher weeds, use cardboard.

Soil solarization is a nonpesticidal method of controlling soilborne pests by placing UV resistant plastic sheets on moist soil during the months of high temperature. The plastic sheets allow the suns heat to be trapped in the soil, heating the upper levels. This will increase the soils temperature to levels that kill most weed seeds and seedlings. This process also improves the soil structure and increases the amount of Nitrogen and other essential plant nutrients. Large increases in plant growth often occur in solarized soil. In order to solarize your garden, you must cover the soil for 4 to 6 weeks during the hot period of the year when the soil will receive the maximum amount of direct sunlight. The best time to do this is in June and July. If this is done properly, the soil can reach a temperature of up to 160 degrees on the surface and up to 100 degrees 3 inches deep. Solarization is by far, the most effective way home gardeners have to reduce or eliminate soilborne garden pests. The benefits are healthier and more productive flower and vegetable gardens. This process is better for your plants and the environment since there are no pesticides used.