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6 INTRODUCTION The Guide for Roadside Integrated Vegetation Management (RIVM) of Prohibited Noxious Weeds in Ohio was designed for the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) as a practical field guide for identifying and controlling Ohio's prohibited noxious weeds and selected invasive plants. Each of Ohio's 21 prohibited noxious weeds [Ohio Administrative Code (Chapter 901:5-37)] are included in this Guide in alphabetical order by common name. Scientific names were acquired from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS.2016. http://www.itis.gov). The goal of RIVM is to encourage compatible and low-maintenance vegetation cover, such as grass, that, when established, can prevent undesirable weeds and woody vegetation from dominating the roadside landscape. All RIVM activities should focus on controlling the reproduction and spread of noxious weeds and incompatible vegetation and encouraging desirable vegetation to thrive. As the term 'integrated' suggests, there is no single defined method that is suitable for this goal. Therefore, a purposeful, well-thought-out approach of vegetation management that uses several control methods could be implemented at various times of the year based on the season and target plant life cycle, followed by planting and proper maintenance of desirable vegetation. The results of a RIVM program will enhance roadside and motorist safety and aesthetics, and will reduce ODOT's workload once desirable vegetation is established. HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE PROHIBITED NOXIOUS WEED IDENTIFICATION AND CONTROL Information on each of Ohio's 21 prohibited noxious weeds are presented on two pages. On the first page for each weed, a title box contains the plant's common and botanical names and indicates the plant's life cycle. The following subsections described below are provided for each plant to aid plant identification and control: Plant Description, Seasonal Identification, Similar-Looking Species, RIVM Level of Concern, Where to Find, and Control Methods. Plant Description: Describes the life cycle and appearance of the plant. Plant Description features include: leaf, stem, flower, fruit/seed, reproduction, and why it is noxious. SeasonalIdentification: Focuses on when the plant is most noticeable and what it looks like at that time. As each weed displays seasonal traits that can help in verifying identification, this section describes what the plant looks like in each season. The level of difficulty to identify the plant in every season is rated from easy to difficult. Similar-Looking Species: Lists and briefly describes other plants that resemble each prohibited noxious weed. This section points out the similarities and differences of those look-alike plants to help rule out or confirm identification. Look-alike plants, if also noxious or invasive, should be controlled. RIVM Level of Concern: This table displays a scale of factors that evaluates the level of vegetation management concerns to ODOT. Each weed is compared to the other weeds in this Guide. A level of concern rating is assigned to each weed relative to each other based on field observations, research, and professional opinion. A rating from low to high is assigned to each of these six factors: · Ohio Distribution (presence throughout Ohio counties) · Roadside Distribution (presence throughout the right-of-way) · Growth (growth rate and/or mature height) · Seeds (number of seeds, ability to spread, and/or years of viability) · Ability to Dominate (plant's ability to take over an area and outcompete other plants) · Difficulty of Control (plant characteristics or adaptations which make the plant challenging to eliminate) Where to Find: Indicates regions in Ohio where the weed may be found and the type of growing conditions the weed prefers. Control Methods: Provides options for Mechanical, Chemical, and Cultural control of the prohibited noxious weed. The Recommendation Summary section provides further discussion of the plant's life cycle and how it relates to control, how the plant responds to treatment, and what can occur upon failure to control. On the second page of each of Ohio's 21 prohibited noxious weeds, the following subsection is presented: SeasonalIdentification: Photographs with descriptive overviews for field identification. INVASIVE PLANT IDENTIFICATION AND CONTROL Five additional invasive plants known to be a nuisance on ODOT's right-of-way are presented after the 21 Ohio prohibited noxious weeds. This condensed section includes only the Plant Description, Where to Find, and Control Methods subsections. LOW HIGH ohio distribution roadside distribution growth seeds ability to dominate difficulty of control RIVM LEVEL OF CONCERN

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