2014
National Roadside Vegetation
Management Conference
National Roadside Vegetation Management Association
PAST PRESIDENTS
1. Turney Hernandez, CPRM
2. Andy Lewis , Florida DOT
3. Bob Berger, WS DOT
4. Bill Johnson, NC DOT
5. Carl Wells, Kentucky DOT
6. Bob Tatman, Ohio DOT
7. Cliff Dixon, ALDOT
8. Benny Roybal, NMDOT
9. Roy Smith, Texas DOT
10. Ron Stahl, Penn DOT
11. Clyde Walton, Maine DOT
12. Sidney Babin, LA DOTD
13. Richard Arnebeck, Mn DOT
14. Randy Estes, ALDOT
15. David Humphrey, ODOT
16. Paul Northcutt, Texas DOT
17. Charles Tomlinson, NCDOT
18. Stacy Armstrong, MoDOT
19. John Reynolds, Jeff Co Com
20. Raymond Willard, WS DOT
21. Terry Barrett, Calcasieu Prsh
22. Ira Bickford, Utah DOT
23. Stacy Shipley San Antonia TX
24. Paul Walvatne MnDOT
25. David Cornett Kent DOT
26. Tsutomu Imamura San Mateo, CA
27. Rand Swanigan MoDOT
28. Dr. John Byrd MSU
29. Howard Peavey ALDOT
30. Doug Wood DuPont
31. Dr. Bill Witt KU
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2014
Kansas City, MO
Kansas City, MO
St. Louis, MO
Louisville, KY
Dallas, TX
Nashville, TN
Albuquerque, NM
Raleigh, NC
San Antonio, TX
Pittsburgh, PA
Portland, OR
New Orleans, LA
Minn/ St. Paul, MN
Birmingham, AL
Salt Lake City, UT
Louisville, KY
Kansas City MO
Waco, Texas
Orlando, Florida
Spokane ,WA
Point Clear, AL
Tulsa, OK
Des Moines, IA
Charlotte, NC
Branson, MO
San Antonio, TX
Indianapolis, IN
Little Rock, AR
Branson, MO
Louisville, KY
Huntsville, AL
2015
National Roadside Vegetation Management Conference
Will be held in
Roanoke, Virginia
Huntsville, Alabama
Von Braun Center
October 6-10, 2014
2014
National Roadside Vegetation
Management Conference
Huntsville, Alabama
Von Braun Center
October 6-10, 2014
Conference Agenda
Day 1 October 7, 2014
7:00 - 7:45
Coffee and Load Buses
8:00 - 11:30 am
Research Field Tour
Dr. Harold Walker
11:30 - 12:00 pm
Conference Registration
12:00 - 1:30 pm
Lunch with Guest Speaker
Randy Estes
1:30 - 2:00 pm
Research Field Tour Summary
Dr. Harold Walker
2:00 - 2:45 pm
Vegetation Economics
Herbicides vs Mowing
Matt Kraushar
2:45 - 3:30pm
Cost Effective Brush Control
DOT Perspective
Chip Rosen
3:30 - 4:15 pm
Cost Effective Brush Control
Contractor Perspective
Brian O’Neill
4:15 - 5:15 pm
5:00 - 7:00 pm
ROW Paths for Pollinators
Rick Johnstone
Reception with Exhibitors
Sponsored by
Dupont Land Management
Speaker Information
John Croyle
John Croyle and his wife, Tee, have seen their dream
of building the best children’s home in America grow into
three separate facilities in Northeast Alabama: Big Oak Boys’
Ranch in Gadsden, Big Oak Girls’ Ranch in Springville, and
Westbrook Christian School, Inc. in Rainbow City.
The Big Oak ministry grew out of John’s desire to give hurting
children a chance. John successfully played football at the
University of Alabama under the legendary coach Paul “Bear”
Bryant. Faced with one of the most important decisions of his
life — whether to play professional football or to start a children’s home — John followed the Lord’s leadership and estab-
lished Big Oak Boys’ Ranch in 1974. Big Oak Ranch, Inc. was
incorporated in the State of Alabama as a 501(c)(3) Corporation in that same year.
John Byrd, Ph. D.
Dr. Byrd is an extension and research professor at Mississippi State University in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. His focus is on weed control in cotton, corn, soybeans,
forages, turf, vegetable crops, ornamentals, and non cropland. He has numerous publications addressing weed
control in various agricultural and home environments.
Barry Fagan, PE
As the ALDOT Environmental Program Engineer, Barry
serves as environmental promoter, coordinator, communicator, educator, and problem solver within and outside of
ALDOT. Barry has over 23 years of road and bridge construction experience, with about half of that being in areas related
to environmental protection and regulatory compliance.
Kevin White, Ph.D., PE
Dr. White is a Professor and Chairman in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of South Alabama.
Dr. White’s research is focused in environmental engineering,
Stormwater treatment, and wetland treatment systems.
David Harris, PE
David Harris is the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s State Roadside Erosion Control and Vegetation
Management Engineer. The primary focus for the sections under his management focus on erosion and sedimentation control and vegetation management for the 79,000 miles of maintained roads in North Carolina.
Speaker Information
2014 Conference Agenda
Randy Estes
Day 3 October 9, 2014
7:00 - 9:15 am
Awards Breakfast
John Croyle
Founder of Big OakRanch
Sponsored by
Dupont Land Management
9:15 - 10:15 am
Award Winner Presentation
10:15 - 11:15 am
Break with Exhibitors
Mr. Estes is a retired Alabama DOT Division Engineer
who served as president of NRVMA in 1997. He has recently
been assisting the Alabama DOT with the design and development of a new maintenance management system. His extensive career experience in transportation and vegetation management has served as an example for others to follow.
Harold Walker, Ph.D.
Dr. Walker is a professor in turfgrass weed science at
Auburn University. His research has focused on weed management in southern turfs. His career at Auburn has spanned for
over 30 years providing guidance and expertise to the
turfgrass industry.
Matt Kruashar
11:15 - 12:00 pm
How Can We Minimize Off Target
Herbicide Movement
Dr. John Byrd
12:00 - 1:15 pm
Lunch
1:15 - 2:00 pm
Green Infrastructure
Barry Fagan
2:00 - 2:45 pm
2:45 - 3:30 pm
Highway Stormwater Runoff Treatment
Using Vegetation Filter Strips
Dr. Kevin White
Break
3:30 - 4:15 pm
Invasive Species on Highway
Rights of Ways
Dr. John Byrd
4:15 - 5:00 pm
Transforming Your Turf to
Save Money
David Harris
5:00 pm
End of Conference
Mr. Kraushar attended Purdue University where he
earned a B.S. in Wildlife Science and a minor in Fisheries and
Aquatic Sciences. He has represented Purdue Extension, serving as Habitat Specialist, presenting research findings on techniques of herbicide use, native warm season grass installation/
management, invasive species control and identification, and
recently was very involved in the development of a Best Management Practice for Integrated Vegetation Management on
Indiana Roadsides.
Chip Rosan
Mr. Rosan is the Roadside Environmental Administrator
for the Delaware Department of Transportation. He has over
thirty-five years experience in roadside vegetation management, including everything from herbicide applications to tree
removals to writing IRVM policy for DelDOT.
Brian O’Neill
Mr. O’Neill who graduated from American University in
Washington, DC, has worked for Weeds, Inc. since 1973,
Weeds, Inc. specializes in weed control both contract herbicide application and herbicide sales. Brian is a licensed applicator and a consultant in 25 states.
Rick Johstone
Mr. Johnstone has 37 years’ experience in vege-
tation management having served as System Forester
for 2 electric utilities; and as President of the 501 -C-3
non-profit corporation IVM Partners, Inc., conducts IVM
research and presents findings at conferences and
workshops
Speaker Information
2014 Conference Agenda
Day 2 October 8, 2014
7:00 - 8:15 am
Coffee Available
8:15 - 9:00 am
9:00 - 9:45 am
Crazy Ant Invasion
Dr. Fudd Graham
The Loss of Roadside Trees
to Invasive Plants
Jody Thompson
9:45 - 10:45 am
Break with Exhibitors
10:45 - 11:45 am
University Updates
Dr. Bill Witt
11:45 - 1:00 pm
Lunch
Exhibitors Ball Room
1:00 - 2:00 pm
Regional Breakout Sessions
Cool Season Grasses
Warm Season Grasses
Facilitated by David Harris & Todd Rowley
2:00 - 2:30 pm
Challenges of Contract Mowing
Steve Bostock
2:30 - 3:00 pm
Break with Exhibitors
3:30 - 4:00 pm
Summary Of Breakout Sessions
4:00 - 5:00 pm
Networking with EPA through WSSA
(Weed Science of America)
Mike Barrett
5:45 pm
Load Buses
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Industry Night
NASA Space and Rocket Center
Sponsored by Dow AgroScience
Lawrence C. ‘Fudd’ Graham, Ph.D.
Dr. Graham is a Research Fellow IV and Extension
Specialist in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Auburn University. He worked as an Extension Agent
with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and as a
Research Assistant at AU while completing his Ph.D. He is a
past board member of the Alabama Pest Control Association
and served as Alabama Pesticide Education Safety Coordinator for eight years. He is also a Certified Pest Management
Professional in Alabama.
Jody Thompson
Mr. Thompson is the Forest Health Specialist at the
Kentucky Division of Forestry. A graduate of Auburn University, Mr. Thompson has used his experience and background to
improve the health of urban and forest landscapes. He continues to expand his role at the Division of Forestry into a
statewide provider of technical assistance and education.
Bill Witt, Ph.D.
Dr. Witt who is the current NRVMA President has spent
his career at the University of Kentucky researching weed
management in various environments from rights-of-way to
grass pastures. His research has been beneficial to both State
DOT’s and the agricultural industry.
Steve Bostock
Steve is Regional Vice President of Asplundh based in
Birmingham Alabama. A graduate of Georgia Southern University including course work in Civil Engineering. He has
served in numerous positions in the Southern Chapter ISA, The
Utility Arborist Association, The Birmingham Tree Commission,
The Mountain Brook Tree Commission and is a Certified Arborist.
Michael Barrett, Ph.D.
Dr. Michael Barrett is a Professor in the Department
Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Kentucky. In addition to his research and teaching responsibilities, he serves as
a subject matter expert liaison between the Weed Science
Society of America (WSSA) and the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). In this role, Dr. Barrett serves the weed science community by assisting EPA in addressing non -crop and
crop weed control issues that directly impact the weed management practitioner.