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TO: |
Mayor and Members of Council |
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FROM: |
Paul
Ingham, General Manager of Operations |
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PREPARED BY: |
Mark
Ingwersen, Manager of Parks Construction & Maintenance Victoria McGrath, Manager, Environmental Leadership |
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DATE OF MEETING: |
2004-Feb-04 |
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SUBJECT: |
Pesticide Reduction in the Town of
Markham |
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RECOMMENDATION:
That the report
titled “Pesticide Reduction in the Town of Markham”, dated February 4, 2004, be
received;
And that the
recommendations to reduce and ultimately eliminate pesticide use within the
Town of Markham, as outlined in the Pesticide Reduction Strategy, be approved.
PURPOSE:
The
purpose of this report is to outline existing practices in pesticide reduction
in the Town of Markham and to recommend ways to further reduce the use of
pesticides on Town properties with the opportunity of becoming pesticide free.
BACKGROUND:
Pesticide reduction is a matter of intense debate and discussion within Markham as well as at the regional, provincial and federal levels. In order to respond to this, the Town of Markham needs to establish a pesticide strategy that supports its corporate goals and community vision and allows its operations to move forward in a sustainable manner. Such a strategy should also be based on partnerships with the community, lawn care industries (that may be contracted to perform landscape services on Town properties), retailers and other government agencies.
OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:
The following discussion outlines the existing maintenance practices of the Parks Department and the costs associated with this maintenance, and then leads into a suggested Pesticide Reduction Strategy for the Town.
Town of Markham Pesticide Application Policy
The current Town of Markham Pesticide Application Policy and the Integrated Pesticide Management Program (I.P.M.) have significantly reduced the Town’s application of pesticides in parks. The current maintenance program has provided reduction in excess of 95% from the 1992 application levels.
What are pesticides?A pesticide is any chemical substance used to kill animals, insects, weeds or plant diseases. This includes insecticides (kill insects), herbicides (kill plants), fungicides (kill moulds, mushrooms and yeast) and rodenticides (kill rodents). Some items, like fertilizers and lawn-care products, may contain pesticides without the applicant even being aware. Within the environment, some pesticides are species-specific, while others do not differentiate between pests and beneficial organisms. Some lawn and garden pesticides may persist in the environment, which may result in unintended exposure to other species. Once applied to a lawn or garden, a pesticide may migrate into the air, soil, and water, both groundwater and surface water. In addition, pesticides are used in and around facilities, including the Civic Centre, to control, for example, wasp nests or ants.
When the Town uses Pesticides
The Town’s Pesticide Application Policy suggests the use of herbicides, in a park application, only when weeds comprise 40% or more of groundcover on Town owned manicured turf. Herbicides are used on a spot-spray basis only. There are only two types of herbicides used by the Town in these conditions, Killex and Roundup. Killex is a broadleaf herbicide which kills weeds but does not affect grass. Roundup is a non selective weed killer that kills all vegetation it contacts. Currently, the Parks Department uses Roundup in specific, limited applications such as to control poison ivy or to eliminate weeds in pavement cracks.
Over the last three years, Parks Maintenance staff has applied pesticides in response to complaints only, where the weed cover has exceeded the 40% threshold. In 2003, the Town applied herbicides on three occasions, two to control poison ivy (40 ml per application) and another because the area had exceeded 40% weeds.
When the Town Doesn’t Use Pesticides
Natural areas on Town owned lands, including creek banks, valley lands, woodlots, meadows and other park areas left in natural state are not treated with pesticides or removed. In addition, the Parks Maintenance staff does not use pesticides on either Town or Region boulevard areas.
“Cultural”
practices are a recognized term in the turf care industry. These practices
include increased mowing frequency, aerating, fertilizing and over-seeding of
turf to strengthen and promote growth. In addition, topdressing, using organic
materials, is used on sports fields to increase general turf health and promote
grass seed germination. Topdressing is
not a practical option for typical neighbourhood parks due to topography, tree
and shrub-bed plantings and other potential obstructions.
All high-end, Category A (lit, irrigated fields) and
B (some are irrigated)
sports fields town wide are maintained based on the use of cultural
practices. The ongoing cultural
practices program on these sports fields has been a success and has not
required the use of herbicides since the program began over ten years ago. It should be noted, however, that pesticides
were applied to these fields at the beginning of the process and these fields
were weed free when the cultural practices were implemented. Although the cultural maintenance costs per
hectare for sports fields are higher than the maintenance of general parks, the
revenue generated from permits subsidizes these costs.
Cultural
practices have proven to be successful over the long term, however, seasonal
factors, such as extended periods of summer drought or extended periods of rain
and wet soil conditions in the spring and fall, may adversely impact the
Operations Department’s capacity to complete aerating and over-seeding
operations each year. Under these
conditions we may not see the benefits of this type of program each year,
however, over the long term this program could be very successful.
The Pesticide Free Pilot Project in
Ward 2 and the Cultural Practices Project in five Ward 2 parks and the Civic
Centre
Pesticide use
in Ward 2 Parks and Civic Centre was eliminated in 2001. Parks Department staff monitored these areas
and no complaints were received during this period. However, weed cover continued to expand at differing rates,
depending on various environmental factors including soil types, weed types and
population, and extremely dry or wet conditions.
The 2001 Pesticide Free Pilot Project was
amended for 2002 with the addition of Cultural Practices. The cultural practices include increasing the mowing
cycle from 10-14 days to 5-7 days, aerating each park three times per year, and
over-seeding each park twice per year. This pilot project concluded at the end
of 2003.
Organic non-chemical alternatives tested
at the Civic Centre
Corn
Gluten is a substance that is reported to
prevent seed germination when applied under certain conditions. Corn gluten
works best in dry conditions, and is time and weather sensitive. This
initiative was piloted in 2003 at Millennium Park on a ½ ha. plot. Corn gluten
was applied twice throughout the season as recommended by the
manufacturer/supplier. The first application was carried out in June, 2003, and
the second application was carried out in September, 2003. The results of this
project are inconclusive and Operations staff recommend that the corn gluten
project continue in 2004 to further evaluate the benefits.
Parks Mowing
The Town’s approved standard for grass-mowing intervals in parks is 10
to 14 days between cuts. The Parks
Department is currently cutting with intervals up to 12 to 14 days between cuts during peak
growing season, as weather and ground conditions permit. This cutting schedule is consistent for
Category C and D fields located within these parks. Category A and B sports fields are cut on a 5 to 7 day
interval.
Parks
Maintenance
In addition to mowing, Parks staff maintain shrub beds in parks and on
medians, boulevards and gateways. On
average, shrub bed maintenance is currently performed at facilities five times
per year, in parks once per year and on boulevards three times per year.
Boulevard Mowing
The Parks department cuts grass on Town and Regional boulevards within
the Town of Markham. Until 2001, these
boulevards were cut 7 times per year, however, due to the large number of
complaints received, the number of cuts was increased to 11 per year in 2001. The Region currently subsidizes the Town for
11 cuts per year on Regional roads.
Council
approved funding to allow an increase in cuts from 11 to 14 in 2003. Staff
anticipates that 12 cuts per year, which is consistent with parks practices,
will be sufficient. The additional funding will be used to remove weeds on
roadway medians across Town approximately three times per year. This will enhance the aesthetics of the
boulevards across the Town of Markham.
Due
to road clearing requirements adjacent to boulevards, grass coverage is
limited, but weeds are still able to grow in these conditions providing
valuable ground cover and greenery. To eliminate the weeds, extensive sodding
and seeding would be required annually. The establishment of grass would be
difficult due to compaction and subsequent “suffocation” of turf plants,
compounded by the residual presence of road salt remaining in the soil on
boulevards.
The current standards of care are helpful to
understand in order to look at the increased service levels and costs required
to move towards a pesticide free approach.
Moving Towards a Pesticide
Free Approach to Parks Maintenance
The Town of Markham is committed to protecting, enhancing and restoring Markham’s natural features and green spaces as part of a vital and healthy ecosystem. A Pesticide Reduction Strategy (PRS) would reflect the Town’s ongoing commitment to protecting and enhancing the community and environment.
In order to facilitate the
goals of the PRS, alternative methods may be considered as pilot projects to
determine efficacy and sustainability. These pilot projects may include:
·
Naturalization - demonstrating bio-engineered sustainable
landscape practices using naturalization techniques that eliminate or reduce
herbicide use. This may include the use of geotextile landscape fabrics as a
weed suppression aid, using specific plant selection to ensure sustainability
in the environment, soil amendments and/or mulch/erosion control.
·
Compost Trials – test
the use of compost/compost tea in a series of managed landscapes to identify
alternatives to traditional pest and pathogenic control. Specific types of
compost can create an optimal balance of fungal organisms, bacteria and
beneficial microbes suited to the plant community under consideration.
·
Heat Alternatives – Using radiant
and flaming equipment fuelled by propane to eliminate weeds.
·
Steam Heat Weeder –
Experimenting with boiling water/steam heat as a weed-control possibility. This
technology has been employed by the City of Toronto, however, it is not a
sustainable solution on its own and must be employed in combination with
replanting with sustainable vegetation.
·
Zero Maintenance
Landscape – Testing the outcome of a controlled zero-maintenance landscape,
which would include:
· Removal of existing weeds and unsuitable plant
material without the use of pesticides.
· Amending soil with compost, possibly adding additional
soil
· New plant selections, including ground covers, based
on drought tolerance, resistance to disease, low pruning needs, visibility for
traffic, attractiveness, toughness and tolerance of being driven over
· Mulching exposed soil after replanting to discourage
weed growth and conserve moisture until fully established
· Minimal watering as needed until plants establish
themselves
· Hand weeding until plant materials have covered ground
sufficiently to exclude weed growth
Funding, service levels and operational practices (including research, planning, implementation, evaluating and reporting on specific pilot projects) need further exploration and could be included in a follow-up report to council. Objectives of a Pesticide Reduction Strategy
A Pesticide Reduction
Strategy (PRS) for the Town of Markham could have two main goals:
(1) To first eliminate the use of pesticides and implement a ‘cultural practices’ maintenance program on all Town property. This can be done immediately, or phased in over a period of time. Eliminating the use of pesticides on Town properties would demonstrate leadership and commitment to the environment.
The first goal of the Pesticide Reduction Strategy could have a three-phased approach:· Naturalization may be an appropriate tool to phase out maintenance, and therefore the use of pesticides, in some areas. Naturalization has already been promoted in many Town open spaces including Milne Park. This could be the first phase, to investigate and implement naturalization to the highest level possible without losing active recreation space.
· The second phase could be to eliminate the use of pesticides on all passive recreation/open space.
· The third phase could be the elimination of all pesticide use on Town property *.
(* The only condition the Town may want to include in the PRS is the potential application for herbicides in a particular situation. For example, poison ivy is not a health threat, however, it is a pervasive and uncomfortable rash that can affect many people using a park. Perhaps controlling poison ivy in areas normally accessible to the public such as manicured parks or immediately adjacent (within 1.0 metre) to pathways is appropriate. Controlling poison ivy in natural areas, or in those areas that are not used frequently, is not appropriate, particularly as poison ivy provides a widely enjoyed food source to birds.)
(2) To achieve a significant
reduction in overall pesticide use in the Town through a phased approach on
private property with residents and businesses, starting with a voluntary
program/pilot project. Eventually, if
necessary, a by-law prohibiting the use of pesticides could come into effect if
it is apparent that voluntary efforts are not achieving the desired results.
Eliminating pesticides on Town properties should be done in combination with a significant education program, letting residents and businesses know through media releases, community page notifications and on the web page, that the Town is eliminating the use of pesticides on its properties and to expect changes in appearance of their local open space areas.
Creating Natural Parks
In addition to implementing a
pesticide-free policy, the Town will need to reconsider how parks are developed
and designed. In order to support a pesticide-free approach, park design needs
to consider low maintenance vegetation, including native trees and plant
materials, and ground covers. Grass, in general, is high maintenance, requiring
adequate irrigation and fertilization to survive. Even in conditions that
support turf grass, eventually weed species out-compete grass and begin to fill
in the gaps.
Education/Outreach/Communications
Community education will be a necessary component of a PRS as reductions of pesticide use result in “changing” landscapes. Promoting positive messages, such as “These landscapes may look less manicured, and take on a more natural appearance. The Town will continue to ensure that these areas provide an inviting and safe atmosphere to be enjoyed by all”, on the Town’s web page, on the community page of the local paper, and in communications with the media, will help the community understand what the Town is hoping to achieve.
CONCLUSION:
The Town has already reduced pesticide use by
more than 95% since 1992, and continues to investigate and promote the use of
new technologies, alternatives and reduced risk products as they become
available.
In order to demonstrate commitment to
Environmental Focus in the Town’s Corporate Goals and Community Vision, the
Town of Markham can evolve into an organization that leads by example. Because
the Town maintains a significant amount of property that is used constantly by
the community, it is important to protect, enhance and restore Markham’s
natural features and green space as part of a vital and healthy ecosystem. In
order to do this, staff recommend a pesticide free approach.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Proposed
standards ensure the Parks Department is able to implement a pesticide free
approach to parks maintenance while maintaining approved standards for turf
care throughout the Town of Markham.
Further changes to these standards may be required if Town of Markham
decides in what manner it is to become pesticide free. It is expected that the proposed Pesticide
Reduction Strategy will address the funding impact of implementation, including
implications for the services outlined below.
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Service |
Current Standard |
Proposed Standard |
Financial Implications |
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Grass-mowing intervals in
parks |
10 to 14 days |
5 to 7 days |
Estimated $900 per hectare
(approx. $500,000) to double mowing frequency and include aeration and
over-seeding |
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Shrub bed maintenance at
facilities |
5 times a year |
5 times a year (No change) |
None |
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Shrub bed maintenance at
boulevards |
3 times a year |
5 times a year |
$123,000 per annum |
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Shrub bed maintenance at
parks |
1 time a year |
3 times a year |
$209,000 per annum |
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Boulevard mowing on Town
and Regional roads |
14 cuts per year |
12 cuts per year |
Savings in this area will
be utilized to implement weed removal program on Town and Regional roads. |
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Removal of weeds on
roadway median |
As required on Town roads 1 time a year on Regional roads (spring clean-up) |
3 times a year on all Town and Regional roads |
Transfer of the 2 cuts
from boulevard mowing to this service |
Note:
Above estimates to increase grass cutting frequency in parks to not
include funding requirements for additional fleet. Funding/Service Level and Operational practices will have to be
revised and reported back on.
Cost saving opportunities
The Operations
Department will investigate opportunities to implement naturalization to the
highest level possible without losing active recreation space. Potential savings will be realized through
the reduced mowing requirements.
New and existing
shrub beds at entrance features to various communities throughout the Town are
an integral component of the aesthetic quality of the Town. However, the Operations Department will
investigate opportunities to reduce shrub bed areas in parks and along extended
sections of both Town and Regional roads and replace these beds with
alternative materials that are both aesthetically pleasing and low maintenance.
Education / Public Awareness
The education/outreach component of the Pesticide Reduction Strategy will be designed to promote an understanding of the changing landscape and to help residents make informed choices regarding their own practices. Programme materials may include media advertising, information brochures, Park signage, etc. at an estimated cost of $10,000 to $20,000 annually.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
Community
Services Commission
ATTACHMENTS:
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____________________________ |
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Paul
Ingham, General Manager of Operations |
Peter
Loukes, Director of Operations and Asset Management |
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Jim Sales, Commissioner of Community and Fire Services |