naa a22 4500 510762727 CHVBK 20180411083145.0 cr unu---uuuuu 180411e20130101xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s11355-011-0184-x doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s11355-011-0184-x Precipitation and mowing effects on highway rights-of-way vegetation height and safety [Elektronische Daten] [Richard Zartman, Cynthia McKenney, David Wester, Ronald Sosebee, John Borrelli] Managing highway rights-of-way (HROW) for safety depends upon the annual precipitation received and vegetation mowing practices. This study was conducted along a precipitation gradient in Texas, USA, to evaluate how precipitation and mowing treatments influence vegetation heights. The experiment was initiated in spring 1999 and completed in autumn 2002. Each site had ten treatments with four replications and consisted of forty 15m×6m subplots. Commercial highway mowing equipment was used to mow the subplots at 5-, 10-, or 20-cm heights with an annual mowing frequency of one, two, or three times per year and a non-mowed control. A vegetation height of >30cm is generally considered a safety hazard. Control subplot vegetation heights increased along the annual precipitation gradient. Most of the subplot vegetation heights at the more arid Andrews site (35cmprecipitationyear−1) were <30cm. Subplot vegetation heights at the Tahoka (50cmprecipitationyear−1), Brady (66cmprecipitationyear−1), and Lufkin (109cmprecipitationyear−1) locations exceeded 30cm, regardless of mowing frequency or height. Mowing treatments for HROW safety must be based on site-specific conditions. In areas that receive <35cmprecipitationyear−1, mowing treatments have little effect on vegetation height, and management practices do not necessarily affect visual safety. In areas that receive >35cmprecipitationyear−1, mowing three or less times per year, regardless of mowing height, makes it unfeasible to maintain the vegetation heights of <30cm needed to maintain the HROW visual safety criterion. International Consortium of Landscape and Ecological Engineering and Springer, 2011 Roadsides nationallicence Transportation corridors nationallicence Vehicle-animal accidents nationallicence Zartman Richard Department Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, 79409-2122, TX, Lubbock, USA aut McKenney Cynthia Department Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, 79409-2122, TX, Lubbock, USA aut Wester David Department of Animal, Rangeland and Wildlife Sciences and Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University—Kingsville, 78363-8202, TX, Kingsville, USA aut Sosebee Ronald Department of Natural Resource Management, Texas Tech University, 79409-2125, TX, Lubbock, USA aut Borrelli John Department of Civil Engineering, Texas Tech University, 79409-1023, TX, Lubbock, USA aut Landscape and Ecological Engineering Springer Japan 9/1(2013-01-01), 121-129 1860-1871 9:1<121 2013 9 11355 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-011-0184-x text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-011-0184-x text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Zartman Richard Department Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, 79409-2122, TX, Lubbock, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- McKenney Cynthia Department Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, 79409-2122, TX, Lubbock, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Wester David Department of Animal, Rangeland and Wildlife Sciences and Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University—Kingsville, 78363-8202, TX, Kingsville, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Sosebee Ronald Department of Natural Resource Management, Texas Tech University, 79409-2125, TX, Lubbock, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Borrelli John Department of Civil Engineering, Texas Tech University, 79409-1023, TX, Lubbock, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Landscape and Ecological Engineering Springer Japan 9/1(2013-01-01), 121-129 1860-1871 9:1<121 2013 9 11355 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer