Management von Neophyten auf Straßenbegleitflächen : ein Überblick über die aktuelle Situation auf Straßenbegleitflächen

[Neophyte management on road verges]
Author(s)
Bartels, P.
Year

Road verges can offer valuable habitats for many animal and plant species and thus contribute to maintain and promote biodiversity. At the same time many alien plant species (neophytes) occur on road verges and preferably spread along road sides. Some of those species can threaten biodiversity, cause high economic costs or can be a risk to human health.
The objective of the present study was to investigate the occurrence of neophytes, problems caused by neophytes and measures applied to control neophytes on road verges along federal roads in Germany. In order to obtain a reliable estimate, we developed an online-survey that was sent out to the relevant road/highway maintenance departments in all federal states. The survey included 12 questions about 10 selected neophytes. The return rate exceeded 40%.
Most of the selected neophytes occurred frequently on road verges according to the participants. The two species that occurred most frequently, giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) and Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica), commonly caused problems in the areas of responsibility. The participants indicated that giant hogweed caused health problems while Japanese knotweed caused line-of-sight obstructions. The occurrence of both species results in higher maintenance efforts. Both species are actively controlled in many areas of responsibility. Giant hogweed can be controlled comparatively successfully by manual removal or with herbicides, whereas control measures for Japanese knotweed are mostly unsuccessful. Moreover, control measures for the other selected neophytes rarely result in complete and permanent removal of populations.
The survey emphasises the urgent need for control measures of neophytes, in particular of Japanese knotweed. The results should help to develop efficient control measures and strategies to prevent the establishment and spread of neophytes. On intermediate to long-term they should result in a (cost) release in maintenance of existing and planned infrastructure facilities.

Report number
V359
Pages
32 + [55]
Series
Berichte der Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen, Reihe V: Verkehrstechnik
ISBN
978-3-95606-690-0
ISSN
0943-9331
Library number
20220166 ST [electronic version only]
Source

Bericht zum Forschungsprojekt 6317018 der Bundesanstalt für Strassenwesen BASt

Publisher
Bundesanstalt für Strassenwesen BASt, Bergisch Gladbach

Our collection

This publication is one of our other publications, and part of our extensive collection of road safety literature, that also includes the SWOV publications.