Tools and Technology for Roadside Vegetation Asset Management: A Guide (2025)
Chapter: Front Matter
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2025 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
OFFICERS
Chair: Leslie S. Richards, Professor of Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Vice Chair: Joel M. Jundt, Secretary of Transportation, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Pierre
Executive Director: Victoria Sheehan, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC
MEMBERS
James F. Albaugh, President and CEO, The Boeing Company (retired), Scottsdale, AZ
Carlos M. Braceras, Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City
Douglas C. Ceva, Vice President, Customer Lead Solutions, Prologis, Inc., Jupiter, FL
Nancy Daubenberger, Commissioner of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul
Marie Therese Dominguez, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, Albany
Garrett Eucalitto, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington
Andrew Fremier, Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco, CA
Martha Grabowski, Professor Emerita, Information Systems, Le Moyne College, Madden College of Business & Economics, Cazenovia, NY
Randell Iwasaki, President and CEO, Iwasaki Consulting Services, Walnut Creek, CA
Carol A. Lewis, Professor, Transportation Studies, Texas Southern University, Houston
Scott C. Marler, Director, Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames
Ricardo Martinez, Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, GA
Russell McMurry, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta
Craig E. Philip, Research Professor and Director, VECTOR, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Steward T.A. Pickett, Distinguished Senior Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY
Susan A. Shaheen, Professor and Co-Director, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California, Berkeley
Marc Williams, Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation, Austin
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Derek Barrs, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Bryan Bedford, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, DC
Michael R. Berube, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC
Steven G. Bradbury, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Steven Cliff, Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board, Sacramento
Drew Feeley, Acting Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC
David Fink, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC
LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Germantown, MD
Firas Ibrahim, Director, Office of Research, Development, and Technology, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), Washington, DC
Jason Kelly, Deputy Commanding General for Civil Works and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
Sandra Knight, President, WaterWonks, LLC, Washington, DC
Sean McMaster, Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC
Marcus J. Molinaro, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC
Jonathan Morrison, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Niloo Parvinashtiani, Engineer, Mobility Consultant Solutions, Iteris Inc., Fairfax, VA, and Chair, TRB Young Participants Council
Paul Roberti, Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Karl Simon, Director, Transportation and Climate Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
Jim Tymon, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC
Sang Yi, Acting Administrator, U.S. Maritime Administration, Washington, DC
_________________________
*Membership as of November 2025.
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1155
Tools and Technology for Roadside Vegetation Asset Management
A GUIDE
Cheryl Daniels
Angela Burdell
Davey Resource Group Inc.
Kent, OH
Subscriber Categories
Administration and Management • Maintenance and Preservation • Planning and Forecasting
Research sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration
2025
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
Systematic, well-designed, and implementable research is the most effective way to solve many problems facing state department of transportation (DOT) administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local or regional interest and can best be studied by state DOTs individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation results in increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research.
Recognizing this need, the leadership of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 1962 initiated an objective national highway research program using modern scientific techniques—the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). NCHRP is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of AASHTO and receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), United States Department of Transportation.
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was requested by AASHTO to administer the research program because of TRBʼs recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. TRB is uniquely suited for this purpose for many reasons: TRB maintains an extensive committee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; TRB possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, universities, and industry; TRBʼs relationship to the National Academies is an insurance of objectivity; and TRB maintains a full-time staff of specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those in a position to use them.
The program is developed on the basis of research needs identified by chief administrators and other staff of the highway and transportation departments, by committees of AASHTO, and by the FHWA. Topics of the highest merit are selected by the AASHTO Special Committee on Research and Innovation (R&I), and each year R&Iʼs recommendations are proposed to the AASHTO Board of Directors, the FHWA, and the National Academies. Research projects to address these topics are defined by NCHRP, and qualified research agencies are selected from submitted proposals. Administration and oversight of research contracts are the responsibilities of NCHRP.
The needs for highway research are many, and NCHRP can make significant contributions to solving highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement, rather than to substitute for or duplicate, other highway research programs.
NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1155
Project 14-47
ISSN 2572-3766 (Print)
ISSN 2572-3774 (Online)
ISBN 978-0-309-59939-9
Library of Congress Control Number 2025947212
© 2025 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Authors herein are responsible for the originality and accuracy of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein.
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) grants permission to reproduce written material in this publication for classroom and non-commercial purposes subject to the rights of any third parties and appropriate attribution. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply NAS, TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. For other uses of the written material, users must request permission from the National Academies Press.
Cover figure: Copyright Tennessee Department of Transportation, Integrated Vegetation Management Program Guidelines, 2016.
NOTICE
The research report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
This material is based upon work supported by the FHWA under Agreement No. 693JJ32350025. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed or implied in this document are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; the FHWA; or the program sponsors.
The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.
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The Transportation Research Board is one of seven major program divisions of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to mobilize expertise, experience, and knowledge to anticipate and solve complex transportation-related challenges. The Boardʼs varied activities annually engage about 8,500 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state departments of transportation, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.
Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1155
Monique R. Evans, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs, and Manager, National Cooperative Highway Research Program
Christopher T. McKenney, Senior Program Officer
Sheila A. Moore, Program Associate
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications
Hilary Freer, Senior Editor
NCHRP PROJECT 14-47 PANEL
Field of Maintenance—Area of Maintenance of Way and Structures
Kris Gade, Pima County Department of Conservation Lands and Resources, Tucson, AZ (Chair)
James W. Buck, New York State Department of Transportation, Hancock, NY
Mohab Hussein, New Jersey Department of Transportation, Ewing Township, NJ
Robert LaRoche, John Turner Consulting, Bowdoinham, ME
Ronaldo Luna, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO
Phillip Montoya, New Mexico Department of Transportation, Santa Fe, NM
Christa Schaefer, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Madison, WI
Sarah Tamayo, Arkansas Department of Transportation, Little Rock, AR
Raymond G. Willard, Washington State Department of Transportation, Olympia, WA
Katherine A. Petros, FHWA Liaison
AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to thank the Davey Resource Group staff who contributed to this project, including Keith Shane and Adrienne Watts, as well as Rasor Communications and Marketing who supported the project with formatting and survey distribution and analysis, and Untold Content who supported the project with technical writing and review.
The research team would like to thank each of the states that took the time to answer the survey questions. Finally, we extend our gratitude to the California Department of Transportation, Ohio Department of Transportation, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Washington State Department of Transportation, and Wisconsin Department of Transportation for participating in the case studies.
FOREWORD
By Christopher T. McKenney
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
NCHRP Research Report 1155: Tools and Technology for Roadside Vegetation Asset Management: A Guide describes how state departments of transportation (DOTs) can promote and implement roadside vegetation asset management (RVAM). The guide presents the types of tools and technology available for roadside vegetation asset management, identifies potential implementation issues, and makes suggestions for state DOTs with different organizational structures and different levels of Information Technology (IT) support.
In developing this guide, the authors incorporated information from “white” and “grey” literature reviews, surveys, and case studies. This guide will be of immediate interest to landscape asset management practitioners. State DOTs can use this guide in creating or updating RVAM plans.
Under NCHRP Project 14-47, “Tools and Technology for Roadside Landscape Asset Management,” Davey Resource Group was tasked with developing a guide of performance-based management strategies for use by highway roadside landscape asset management practitioners. The guide was developed to (1) integrate roadside landscape asset management practices with established transportation asset management practices and (2) establish a taxonomy and definition of roadside landscape assets with implementation strategies on standard data collection procedures, analytical tools, and maintenance operations logistics. (In reviewing comments and responses to the survey questions, the authors found that state DOT staff had difficulty with the definition of Roadside Landscape Asset Management [RLAM] due to the term “landscape.” As such, “landscape” was replaced with “vegetation,” and the term “RVAM” was adopted for this project.) The design, construction, and maintenance of linear roadside landscapes is a complex element of highway asset management. The rights-of-way of the national highway network include an estimated 3.4 million acres of unpaved land as the interface between highways and natural and human landscapes. Given the potential benefits of including roadside landscape in highway asset management (e.g., application of geospatial information, innovative use of data collection tools and technology), research was needed to evaluate the state of practice and propose tools and technologies for use in a performance-based management system. Having a system for planning roadside projects that enables state DOT staff to track and document activity completion and results over time can provide an increased understanding of the evolving processes of roadside vegetation growth. In addition, resulting maintenance treatments can result in improved life-cycle management practices and increased system resiliency.
In addition to NCHRP Research Report 1155, practitioners may want to consult two project-related resources. The resources are as follows:
- NCHRP Web-Only Document 249: Investigation of Tools and Technology for Roadside Vegetation Asset Management, which summarizes the contractorʼs conduct of the entire research effort, and
- A Powerpoint presentation of the Project Overview and Implementation Plan.
Both are available by searching on the National Academies Press website (https://nap.nationalacademies.org) for NCHRP Research Report 1155: Tools and Technology for Roadside Vegetation Asset Management.
CONTENTS
1.1 Roadside Vegetation Asset Management
1.2 Importance of Roadside Vegetation Asset Management to DOTs
1.3 Differences Between Roadside Vegetation Asset Management and Hardscape Asset Management
1.4 Roadside Vegetation Asset Types and Definitions
1.5 Current State of Roadside Vegetation Asset Integration
Chapter 2 Case Study Summaries
2.2 California Department of Transportation
2.3 Ohio Department of Transportation
2.4 Tennessee Department of Transportation
2.5 Washington State Department of Transportation
2.6 Wisconsin Department of Transportation
2.7 Takeaways from Case Studies
Chapter 3 Why Implement Roadside Vegetation Asset Management?
3.4 Improvements to Technology
3.5 Staff and Equipment Management
3.7 Beneficial Vegetation Impacts on the Right-of-way
Chapter 4 Linking Roadside Vegetation Asset Management to TAMP and Alternative Strategies
Chapter 5 Asset Management and Condition Assessment
