UIC “Vegetation Control” Project 1 Summary Aim and Approach of the Project Vegetation control along railway lines should not harm the environment. This and the increasing pressure to cut costs for vegetation control motivated several railway companies to start various activities to reduce the amount of herbicides used. These activities were supported even more when some herbicides and their degradation products were detected in ground and surface water and the issue was taken up by non-governmental organisations in some European countries (e.g. Germany). They postulated a general stop of herbicide use in railway facilities. Furthermore the use of herbicides for vegetation control in railway installations over many years showed that they only have a short-term effect (approx. one growing season) on the vegetation cover present. Additionally, using one or two active substances their application leads to a change in the plant community present. More and more plants grow that are undesirable. Against this background, the UIC’s Environment Working Group organised several conferences on vegetation control. After several discussions and meetings the UIC project on vegetation control was started in 2000 and ended in 2001. The following points were focused on in four subprojects: • Subproject 1: Need for vegetation control (scope for accepting a certain amount of vegetation for a given category of track). • Subproject 2: Recommendations for the application of non-chemical methods in “herbicide-free areas” where either the use of herbicides is restricted or herbicides are ineffective. • Subproject 3: Description of fundamentals for a vegetation management system. • Subproject 4: Communication of the findings via a seminar and a report. The findings are based on a survey, a literature study and the knowledge of railway experts. The survey was divided into three steps. In the first step a general questionnaire was sent to 49 UIC railway companies. Given the more specific questionnaires in step two, the number of railways responding fell to 12 (Subproject 1) and 21 (Subproject 2) respectively. The third step was used to clear up any misunderstandings and/or unanswered questions. The survey showed that the use of herbicides on railway lines is ruled by governmental regulations. In various European countries the application of herbicides is limited • to only one active substance such as Glyphosate • as regards the amount of active substance used per area or track length • to certain areas, and is banned in so-called “herbicide-free areas”. The number of “herbicide-free areas” is expected to increase in the future. Most railways expect tighter regulation in the near future. This and the controversial effects of herbicides have led to studies of non-chemical methods and selective use of herbicides. In 2 Europe about 130 € per track kilometre is being spent in 2002 for vegetation control maintenance and about 390 € per track kilometre for the maintenance of the embankment. Europe’s railways have a total of 400,000 km of track, which means about 2,560 km2 of track area and between 2,000 and 4,000 km2 of embankments in total. Need for vegetation control (Part A) The question about the need for vegetation control is linked to the development of plants and has to be viewed under two aspects. One is the differentiation into embankment and track areas the other one the short and long-term effects. In general plants tend to colonise all vegetation free areas and have developed various mechanisms adapted to various growing conditions. The basic needs of plants are light, nutrition and water. These growing factors have to be available for plants in differing degrees, depending on the plant species. There are a number of means of eliminating these growing factors or at least managing them in such a way as to control growth. Plant growth on embankments is more or less influenced by the natural soil and climatic conditions. Thus, only very few possibilities exist of managing the basic needs of vegetation. Embankments are usually covered by plants. Such vegetation coverage is welcomed by railway companies as a means of, for instance, preventing erosion. But there is also a need to keep the growth of plants within certain limits, and therefore to cut down shrubs and trees, if signal sighting is impaired or the safety of workers no longer guaranteed for instance. The development of vegetation takes place on both a short and a long-term time-scale, but the earlier plants are managed in these areas the cheaper the process is. For instance, carrying out mowing or mulching continuously and regularly leads to wished-for grass becoming established. This reduces the vegetationpressure encroaching onto the track area and minimises the need for vegetation control measures there. In the area between the track and the embankment an efficiently functioning/well-maintained drainage system such as ditches (not a common vegetation control measure!) will ensure dry conditions for the track area. Hence only a few slow-growing plants that are well adapted to such conditions will survive. Together with lateral plant barriers such as suitably positioned cable troughs, these measures protect the track against in-growing plants from the embankment. They lead to a reduced vegetation burden within the track itself and therefore vegetation control activities in the track area may be reduced. The track area itself is a technical construction using specified materials which have to fulfil the various technical demands of railway companies. Thus, the occurrence of plant has differing effects. On the short-term time-scale, the safety of workers and the sighting of low signals have to be guaranteed in walkways for instance. This can be supported by controlling the shrubs and trees on the embankment so as to cut in-growing plants out. Furthermore, cutting back shade-giving trees leads to intensive exposure of the track area to sunlight. This leads to high temperatures, dry conditions and hence minimised plant growth. An additional means of raising temperatures involves using dark material for walkways, as was demonstrated in experiments. Almost no plants can be allowed onto the ballast bed in the short term if it increases the risk of fire, fouls brake systems or hinders inspection of rails. 3 Beside these short-term effects of plants, long-term effects are shown to exist as well. The development of vegetation along the track is different in the walkway than in the ballast bed. The best growing conditions for vegetation exist in the walkways, where plant growth usually starts first. When the vegetation reaches the base of the ballast slope, it closes the coarse ballast pores. This may lead to reduced drainage of the ballast bed. In consequence the moisture content increases and sub-layers beneath the ballast may start to weaken. The ballast bed is usually a dry and hot place. Hence it is hard for plants to survive under such conditions. The grinding together of ballast stones by passing traffic leads to an increase in fine material. As a result, the moisture content starts to increase, growing conditions improve and the sub-layer may be weakened as well. In both cases a reduced carrying capacity linked with a pumping up of fine material from the sub-layers into the ballast will be observed. This leads to further plant growth as well, because of improved growing conditions. Because these effects tend to occur in tandem with other adverse factors bearing upon the track, the one cannot be clearly separated from the other. Even so, railway companies have to guarantee a stable track and a constant carrying capacity based on a stable sub-layer deriving from good drainage of the track. The railway companies have various reasons and requirements for vegetation control depending on their infrastructure. Due to the existing gaps in knowledge about the direct link between plant coverage and stability in the long term, no railway company is able to set limit values for plants drawing on an objective database. The issue is complex because so many influences affecting each other have to be taken into account. Even so, some railways have started to establish quality standards concerning plant coverage, though not drawing on an objective database. In the short term there is a need to avoid fouling of rail traffic by plants as already described above. Hence vegetation control measures are needed even though we are not able to differentiate between effects relating to vegetation and other factors in the long term. The possible methods in the various track areas and the recommended combination of possible methods used are shown further on. Methods for vegetation control and proposed combinations (Part B) An overview of different methods known at the moment is given. Different characteristics for each of the 34 methods (technical data, vegetation control area and operating conditions, costs and environmental effects) are listed in a catalogue. The survey showed that chemical methods are the ones most used by the railway companies. Non-chemical measures are used in a supplementary way or where the use of herbicides is prohibited. The reason: no satisfactory non-chemical maintenance methods for the track area (ballast and walkway) are known today. Most of the methods tested did not lead to satisfactory results. They are either too slow (hindering railway traffic), have not the desired effect on plants or are too expensive. One exception may be constructional methods, which also belong to the non-chemical methods. Their positive effect for vegetation control is shown in several cases. These preventive measures have to be taken into consideration when building new or renewing old lines. The efficiency of constructional methods can be 4 improved by applying maintenance measures such as mulching on the embankment in addition.