Beginning in May, Stearns County Highway Department, as part of its vegetation management program, will be scheduling some roadside vegetation work along all Stearns County highways. The unwanted brush and noxious weeds will be cut and/or treated with herbicide. This notice is to inform all property owners which have property abutting county roads of the work we have scheduled and their right to use alternative methods.
Our goals are to eliminate the brush and noxious weeds and to promote grass cover along the roadside. Brush along the road reduces driving visibility, obstructs road signs and reduces driver reaction time to crossing wildlife. Brush presents maintenance problems by retaining water along the roadbed, obstructing ditches and damaging equipment.
During spray operation, we will take care to avoid sensitive areas adjacent to the right-of-way such as tree plantations, ornamental plantings, crops, gardens, front yards, lakes and streams.
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:
- Fill out a “Spraying Exemption Form” completely and return it to: Stearns County Highway Department
- P.O. Box 246, St Cloud, MN 56387-0246
- The “Spraying Exemption Form” is available on the Stearns County website at: stearnscountymn.gov/661/Noxious-Weed-Control .
- Before May 15, post “DO NOT SPRAY” signs on the backslope at the beginning and ending areas you do not want treated.
- Remove brush and/or noxious weeds within that site by June 15,and continue to 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.