(Volume 13 / Edition 23, October 2011)

In an effort to solicit your business and keep you informed on the latest vegetation management technologies, Sierra Consulting & IPM LLC is providing you with this technical newsletter, VEGETATION MANAGEMENT ONLINE©. It is with sincere hope that the information provided herein will increase the vegetation manager’s knowledge and awareness on issues such as Environmental Stewardship, Efficacy, Efficiency and Economics of Vegetation Management technologies.

Please post this newsletter in areas where all can read and learn. Promote communication and cooperation for the entire team; education for all is the key for success!

18 Years

This issue Sierra Consulting & IPMLLC celebrates our 18th anniversary. What an exciting and diverse 18 years it has been. First and foremost I wish to thank all my clients for their continued support, positive feedback, friendship, and the opportunity to be involved with so many diverse situations, testing the boundaries of IPM. Open communications has always been the key, and we have survived and won many pest management battles simply through cooperation and combining our expertise.

As an independent PCA (Pest Control Advisor) with a key focus on integration of technologies, it hasn’t always been easy. I find it necessary to push the boundaries more often than not. New pest issues arise, yet curative technology not always keeping up with the demand.

It has been said that IPM is a continuum, spreading across the horizon, soft and green at one end, and agrochemical at the other end. All are necessary but preference always rules green when it comes to the environment. New approaches are necessary as older ones show signs of weakness and future failure. As a researcher I welcome new approaches and we do have a few on the horizon. This winter a couple of new products are going to receive registration, providing new methods in the tool chest of IPM.

So here we go with another season. Rains are falling as this is written, over 1.5 inches so far here in the Sierra foothills above Sacramento. This being the first significant rain of the year, all the winter annuals will now begin to germinate, turning brown to green once again. I guess we should be thankful, as nature provides us with job security every fall.

So it’s time to set sound plans into action, hang on, here we go, this is going to be fun...

IPM

Once again I see Cities and Counties trying to re-write a definition of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). I am sorry here, you can’t distort this definition, or it is no longer IPM. The State of California’s definition is the same as the University of California and defines IPM as...

...an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and use of resistant varieties. Pesticides are used only after monitoring indicates they are needed according to established guidelines, and treatments are made with the goal of removing only the target organism. Pest control materials are selected and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, beneficial and non-target organisms, and the environment.

This is a legal definition and will stand in any court of law in California. If any of the components are taken out of this definition, it is no longer IPM. It certainly is not “integrated” if sectors of technology are removed or restricted. Why is it that the public has such a fear of the word chemical? This is such a broad term, like pesticides, having some degree of paranoia associated with it to the uneducated. Let’s be real here! For example, many of the “organic” herbicides are a higher toxicity rating than non-organic herbicides, but the word organic seems to make them safer... No Way.

Danger means danger, Warning means warning, and caution is just that. Salt is more toxic (3,320 mg/kg LD50) than almost all the commonly used roadside products (Roundup >5,000 mg/kg LD50 or Dimension 2EW at 5000 mg/kg LD50) but the public doesn’t see it that way because they eat small amounts of salt with every meal. What does that say...Dose makes the poison! But because one is natural, and the other manufactured, the assumption is death and destruction. I really don’t trust big companies either, but I do believe in Science. The way I see is that philosophy created religion, and religion created the need for science. There is a flow here if you see it, and I really don’t care to move back in time or stop progress with our feet stuck in philosophical or religious debate. It has been proven that no one agrees in either arena. Go science!

Time for a Reference to Toxicity

EPA Toxicity Ratings for Pesticide Registration:

Study the above LD50 ratings and see how EPA categorizes toxicity in the four categories. If you have trouble with this or find it difficult to understand please give me a call. It is important that this makes sense because this is the foundation of understanding toxicity according to the EPA. And because there is no authority higher than EPA when it comes to protecting the environment, understanding this basic premise is the foundation to understanding the basic principles of IPM. If it wasn’t for toxicity, adverse affects on the environment, or human safety, there would be little need for IPM.

Sierra Consulting & IPM LLC

Sierra Consulting & IPM LLC, advisory services with 41 years experience providing independent and non-biased Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Arborist advisory services, thanks all of you for your support and business. The client base for Sierra Consulting & IPM has expanded to include federal, state and county agencies, utilities, irrigation districts and water authorities, military bases, railroads, transportation departments, airports, school districts, commercial contract application companies, agricultural clients, noxious and invasive weed management programs. Sierra Consulting & IPM LLC also provides contract research services and forensic investigation including expert witness in all phases of pest management.

Sierra Consulting & IPM LLC provides key services including IPM program design and implementation, on-site pest management evaluations (Vegetation, Rodents, Insects, Plant and Tree Health) throughout all of California, Licensed Pest Control Advisor (PCA) written pest control recommendations, and employee training on subjects such as:

• Annual Pesticide Safety Training
• Invasive Weed Management Strategies
• Drift Management
• Environmental Stewardship
• Application Technology & Calibration
• Laws & Regulations
• Understanding and Using IPM
• Certified Arborist Services
• Proper Tree Pruning and Care

Let Sierra Consulting & IPM LLC help you, give me a call or e-mail me!
Phone (530) 432-7845 and/or donald.bartel@sbcglobal.net

Vegetation Management Online Free Subscriptions and Sponsorship!

Sierra Consulting & IPM LLC wants you to encourage your coworkers, friends and relatives to submit for this free on-line newsletter specifically designed to present the most recent technological advances to vegetation managers’ worldwide. Just go to www.sierraconsultingipm.com, and provide your e-mail address to automatically place your name on the mail list for the newsletter Vegetation Management Online.  Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Please let me know what you think of the newsletter and the articles, as I always look forward to your comments. If you wish to be removed from this free subscription list, just let me know!

Sponsorship of this newsletter provides a direct market opportunity to reach the influencers and decision makers of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) business here in California, across the United States and around the globe. If your company wishes to learn more about advertising opportunities and the various levels of sponsorship available with this newsletter, please contact: Don Bartel, Sierra Consulting & IPM LLC.
Office phone: 530-432-7845 or 530-305-2228 or e-mail: donald.bartel@sbcglobal.net
Thanks!

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