Chapter Trans 280

Trans 280.04   General features and roadside vegetation inventory.

Trans 280.05   Roadside tree planting.

Trans 280.01 Trans 280.01 Purpose and scope. As authorized by s. 84.01 (29), Stats., the purpose of this chapter is to establish uniform procedures for increasing the number of hardy and aesthetically-pleasing trees planted on highway rights-of-way, while maintaining highway safety.

Trans 280.01 History History: Cr. Register, December, 1994, No. 468, eff. 1-1-95.

Trans 280.02 Trans 280.02 Definitions. In this chapter:

Trans 280.02(1) (1) “AASHTO” means the American association of state highway and transportation officials.

Trans 280.02(2) (2) “Clear zone” means a roadside area that is required to be free of woody plant growth over 4 inch caliper or that would impair highway safety.

Trans 280.02(3) (3) “Department” means the Wisconsin department of transportation.

Trans 280.02(4) (4) “Forb” means an herb other than grass.

Trans 280.02(5) (5) “Native vegetation” means plants and plant communities that were found in a given area of Wisconsin before 1840.

Trans 280.02(6) (6) “Rights-of-way” means lands used for highway purposes.

Trans 280.02(7) (7) “Roadsides” means all state highway rights-of-way, excluding the area required for roadways and bridge structures.

Trans 280.02(8) (8) “Roadways” means the highway pavement and shoulder structure.

Trans 280.02(9) (9) “Vegetation” means a plant or group of plants, including trees, present in any given area or region.

Trans 280.02 History History: Cr. Register, December, 1994, No. 468, eff. 1-1-95.

Trans 280.03 Trans 280.03 Goals. The goals of roadside vegetation management include the following:

Trans 280.03(1) (1) Plant trees to enhance roadside aesthetics, maximize oxygen production and improve air quality.

Trans 280.03(2) (2) Promote the ecological integrity of the state’s natural heritage through the planting of native trees on state highway roadsides.

Trans 280.03(3) (3) Tree planting should be consistent with a vegetation management plan to:

Trans 280.03(3)(a) (a) Preserve and encourage the regeneration of native vegetation on roadsides.

Trans 280.03(3)(b) (b) Promote highway safety by establishing and maintaining clear zones that are appropriate to any given highway location.

Trans 280.03(3)(c) (c) Avoid interference with the visibility of legal adjacent land use.

Trans 280.03 History History: Cr. Register, December, 1994, No. 468, eff. 1-1-95.

Trans 280.04 Trans 280.04 General features and roadside vegetation inventory.

Trans 280.04(1) (1) The department shall conduct an inventory to identify and classify roadside vegetation, including trees, and other roadside and related features, as follows:

Trans 280.04(1)(a) (a) Observed plants such as trees, shrubs, vines, grasses and forbs, and plant communities.

Trans 280.04(1)(b) (b) Sites for potential enhancements, including reforestation, aesthetic improvement opportunities, erosion control improvement, and native vegetation opportunities.

Trans 280.04(1)(c) (c) Adjacent land uses, including agriculture, natural areas, residential, business and cultural development.

Trans 280.04(1)(d) (d) Other features necessary to effectively plan for increasing the number of trees.

Trans 280.04(2) (2) The department shall create a vegetation management plan consistent with the goals in this chapter.

Trans 280.04 History History: Cr. Register, December, 1994, No. 468, eff. 1-1-95.

Trans 280.05 Trans 280.05 Roadside tree planting.

Trans 280.05(1) (1) The department shall develop roadside tree planting plans based on the principles of landscape architecture as applied to highway design in accordance with AASHTO guidelines, the department’s facilities development manual, and highway maintenance manual. All plantings should be consistent with the vegetation management plan.

Trans 280.05(2) (2) The department shall tabulate and record the number of trees planted in each transportation region annually.

Trans 280.05 History History: Cr. Register, December, 1994, No. 468, eff. 1-1-95; correction in (2) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 6., Stats., Register February 2013 No. 686.