Roadside Mowing
Sturgeon County ensures paved and graveled roadsides are mowed to improve visibility and to control undesired vegetation or regulated weeds. Graveled roadsides are mowed a minimum of once annually, and paved and hard-surface roadsides are mowed a minimum of twice annually. If you have concerns that a roadside near you is being neglected or vegetation is becoming a hazard, please contact Ag Services.
Municipal Reserve Mowing
Municipal reserves exist throughout residential areas for the enjoyment of visitors and residents. These areas can host a variety of recreational uses – some are developed park spaces while others are open or naturalized spaces. As these are county-owned properties, they are maintained based on the type of use and in accordance with the Vegetation Management Standards Policy.
Sturgeon County will control weeds and excessive vegetation growth and focus our control measures on MRs that are frequented by residents. Other MRs are left to be as naturalized as possible. If you have concerns regarding vegetation on a Municipal Reserve parcel near you, please contact Ag Services.
Brush Management
Brushing and mulching are conducted in County-owned ditches and roadsides in parts of rural Sturgeon County as part of the vegetation management program. Ornamental trees near approaches and shelterbelts on private property are not removed as part of this program.
Brushing involves removing trees along the roadside. Mulching uses a machine to shred trees and brush into mulch chips that are left to naturally decompose in the ditch over time.
These activities improve sightlines at intersections and along the roadside, increase efficiency during snow clearing in winter, and improve drainage. These operations are coordinated by Transportation and Engineering Services. For more information, contact the Transportation and Engineering department at 780-939-8252.
CN Rail Weed Management
CN Rail 2023 vegetation management activities will take place between April and October. Regularly updated schedules and updates can be found at the CN Rail website here.
Trees, brush, and other vegetation can compromise rail and public safety by:
- Impeding motorist sightlines, which increases risk of crossing accidents
- Reduce visibility for train crews at crossings and of train control signals or track side warning devices
- Excess vegetation can damage the integrity of the railbed, interfere with signals and switches
- Increases risk and/or size of track side fires
CN manages vegetation using both chemical and mechanical methods. The track infrastructure is composed of two main sections:
- the ballast section, typically ranging from 16-24 feet (which is primarily gravel and supports the track structure)
- Keeping this clear of vegetation is critical for safe railway operations and is managed with chemical control. Spray trucks or spray trains with downcast nozzles are used. These spray a short distance above the ground surface with shrouded booms that are specially designed to reduce chemical drift.
- the right-of-way portion (which is the area outside of the ballast section to the CN property boundary)
- Mechanical control methods such as mowing or brushing are used here. Chemical treatments may be used to control regulated weed species or brush. CN has retained professional contractors qualified to undertake this work. They are required to comply with all laws and regulations applicable to CN. In addition, the contractors will ensure that vegetation control is performed with consideration of the environment and in accordance with the highest industry standards.
Noxious Weed Removal
Should your community have any noxious weed removal requests, we ask that you contact CN’s Public Inquiry Line at contact@cn.ca or fill out the form at CN.ca/vegetation before June 1, 2023 with the specific information and location. CN will make every effort to include those locations as part of our 2023 Vegetation Management Program. All notices sent after the above-mentioned date will be included in the 2024 Vegetation Management Plan.
Answers to CN Rail’s FAQ can be found here.
Highway Weed Management
Weed and vegetation management on Provincial Highways is the responsibility of Alberta Transportation. They contract highway maintenance to several companies throughout Alberta. Sturgeon County is within CMA 9, with Emcon Services Inc. Highway vegetation management concerns can be directed to Emcon Services Inc. through their website.
All the Provincially managed highways within Sturgeon County are noted on the included map.
Did you see a problem highway elsewhere, but not sure what jurisdiction they are under? Check out the Government of Alberta’s website here for the list of highway maintenance and contact information.