Biodiversity, the variety of all living things on our planet, has been declining at an alarming rate in recent years. Major threats include land-use change, pollution, overexploitation of species, climate change, invasive species and disease.
More than 300 years ago, much of North America’s heartland comprised long- and shortgrass prairie. By the mid-20th century, nearly all North American prairie grasslands had been destroyed due to extensive farming. Based on analyses of the nation’s best-studied groups of plants and animals—including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and vascular plants—scientists at NatureServe estimate that about a third of all U.S. species are at risk of extinction due to loss of habitat.
At a minimum, the utility industry can combat at least two threats to biodiversity loss: land-use change and invasive species.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. natural gas pipeline network has about 3 million miles of mainline and other pipelines that link natural gas production areas and storage facilities with consumers. The area above these underground pipelines is referred to as rights of way, or ROW. Properly managing vegetation that grows on these ROW provides considerable opportunities to help slow down loss and potentially increase biodiversity.
Not all vegetation is compatible with operations on ROW. For instance, the roots of woody vegetation can shift underground pipes and cause safety hazards. Often, incompatible species can block clear access to pipelines for inspections, repairs and construction. In contrast, herbaceous plants, grasses, sedges and ferns do not create safety threats to buried pipelines and might even discourage the growth of problematic woody vegetation.
Mowing vegetation or broadcast-spraying with herbicide can negatively impact biodiversity and plant species composition. So, utilities are increasingly turning to a vegetation management practice called integrated vegetation management, or IVM. IVM is a system of managing plant communities in which compatible and incompatible vegetation are identified, action thresholds are considered, control methods are evaluated, and selected controls are implemented to achieve specific objectives. Along gas pipelines, IVM selectively removes incompatible vegetation including trees, woody shrubs and, where practical, invasive plant species, allowing compatible vegetation to flourish.
Creating separate management zones allows IVM programs to accomplish multiple goals across the ROW.
The pipe zone, a narrow strip of land directly above the gas pipeline, can be mowed more frequently, providing safe access for safety inspection.
In the border zone, the area running parallel on either side of the pipe zone, incompatible and invasive vegetation can be removed through targeted treatments. This can include applying selective herbicide mixes in various areas, overseeding with compatible plant species to encourage plant diversity and using conservation mowing techniques so compatible vegetation can thrive. Compatible vegetation includes low-growing grasses and herbaceous flowering plants that are beneficial to pollinators, birds and other wildlife.
As part of its “Your Energy, Your Future” initiative, NiSource is dedicated to providing a steady supply of affordable energy while also protecting and preserving the nation’s shared resources for common future needs. With this initiative in mind, NiSource began implementing IVM and is tracking its positive effect on biodiversity across multiple states.
To proactively manage biodiverse-rich, compatible plant species on its ROW, NiSource trains its vegetation management crews in IVM practices and plant identification. NiSource uses a mix of on-site training and online education that is informative and entertaining. In addition, plant identification guides—specifically designed for the company’s footprint—are distributed among vegetation crews.
The knowledge gained through this training is integral to the success of an effective IVM program. In addition, staff and contractors across the vegetation management and environmental permitting departments participate in webinars and conferences to increase their knowledge about declining pollinator populations and share their stories of habitat restoration successes.
Building upon knowledge gained through training, NiSource vegetation crews and vegetation planners/managers also use the pollinator habitat scorecard created by the Rights-of-Way as Habitat Working Group (rightofway.erc.uic.edu/pollinatorhabitat-scorecard). The scorecard is a tool to assess the current pollinator habitat quality and the future potential of the lands being managed. NiSource’s vegetation management and environmental permitting departments and contractors also hold bi-monthly pollinator calls to track ongoing projects’ progress and brainstorm additional ways they can incorporate pollinator preservation activities on the lands they manage.
One specific area where NiSource has focused its resources is promoting pollinator habit for the monarch butterfly. The company’s geographic footprint—which spans Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Ohio—coincides with the spring and summer breeding grounds of the monarch butterfly’s migration route.
To that end, NiSource has enrolled in the Nationwide Candidate Conservation Agreement for the Monarch Butterfly through the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to carry out monarch-friendly vegetation management practices on its ROW (www.fws.gov/media/nationwide-candidate-conservationagreement-monarch-butterfly). Also, in collaboration with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, NiSource identified overlapping ROW and created Monarch Waystations (monarchwatch.org/waystations) and pollinator planting sites throughout Columbia Gas of Kentucky’s service area in central and eastern Kentucky.
Vegetation management crews encourage pollinator habitats by collecting seeds from beneficial plant species to propagate, including nectar resources such as milkweed, a crucial plant for the monarch butterfly. In addition, where ideal habitat on ROW does not currently exist, vegetation crews use their knowledge to eliminate invasive species that strangle out native plant species, allowing native species that benefit pollinators and other wildlife to thrive.
NiSource currently has several projects certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council, including four grassland habitat restoration projects and one IVM-compatible plant identification training project.
A commitment to managing biodiversity has become part of the culture at NiSource. Creating healthy and vibrant compatible plant communities on the ROW they manage is also achievable for other utilities. By implementing IVM, NiSource and others contribute to building a more sustainable future with a strong commitment to safety and proactive management of diverse, herbaceous, pollinator and wildlife-friendly vegetation on the pipeline ROW.
For other utilities interested in creating an integrated vegetation management training program like the one used by NiSource, consider the following questions:
To learn more about NiSource’s IVM practices, contact Tony Tipton, leader, land services and vegetation management, at jtipton@nisource.com or Susan Murray, land technician II, survey & land–vegetation management administrator, at susanmurray@nisource.com, or visit www.columbiagasky.com/services/work-in-your-neighborhood/vegetation-management or www.nisource.com/docs/librariesprovider2/sustainability-archives/nisource-biodiversity-commitment.pdf?sfvrsn=6.
For utilities looking to implement or enhance an IVM program, other resources include: