County To Begin Herbicide Spraying in May

(KNSI) – Now is the time to let county officials know if you don’t want any noxious weeds sprayed on your property off a county highway.

The Stearns County Highway Department will begin spraying weeds along county roads in May.

The chemical treatments are part of Stearns County’s vegetation management program.

Unwanted brush and weeds will be cut or treated with herbicide.

All property owners with land abutting county roads have a right to use alternative methods to treat their land.

Stearns County says they will avoid sensitive areas next to the right-of-way during spray operation, such as tree plantations, ornamental plantings, crops, gardens, front yards, lakes, and streams.

Brush along the road reduces driving visibility, obstructs road signs, and reduces driver reaction time to crossing wildlife.

Brush causes maintenance problems by holding water along the roadbed, obstructing ditches, and damaging equipment.

The county’s goal is to eliminate the brush and noxious weeds and to promote grass cover along the roadside.

If you would like to maintain the right-of-way adjacent to your land in some other fashion, such as mowing, please follow these instructions:

1. Fill out a “Spraying Exemption Form” entirely and return it to Stearns County Highway Department PO Box 246 St Cloud, MN 56387-0246 The “Spraying Exemption Form” is available on the Stearns County website.

2. Before May 15, post “DO NOT SPRAY” signs on the backslope at the beginning and ending areas you do not want to be treated.

3. Remove brush and/or noxious weeds within that site by June 15, 2021, and maintain it. If the brush and/or noxious weeds are not removed, we will treat the area as part of our vegetation management program.

If you have any questions, please contact the Stearns County Highway Department at 320-255-6180.
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