This document introduces guidance for managing habitat along roadways for pollinators, by outlining BMPs for DOT roadside managers, maintenance crews and landscape designers. Produced for the Federal Highway Administration, the document covers reference information, such as pollinator biology, the benefits of pollinators to agriculture, and the importance of roadside habitat.

The report also addresses specific questions about risks to pollinators using roadside habitat, wildlife collision concerns, costs associated with practices, adjacent landowner concerns and some basic pollinator facts. Appendices include pollinator and vegetation resources and a list of some recommended plants. BMPs discussed include those that address habitat identification, preservation, or restoration; invasive/pest species management; mowing or haying; prescribed burning; planting or seeding; outreach; and grazing. Design considerations are also discussed, with reference to pollinator habitat, and emphasis is placed on use of native plants appropriate to the region and site.

The report also provides information regarding staff training to implement BMPs and discusses the importance of collaboration and public buy-in when implementing BMPs along roadsides. The publication includes specific recommendations as well as general considerations and presents multiple case studies as examples of successful projects or programs completed by state DOTs (Hopwood et al. 2016).

• Hopwood, J., S. Fleury, and S. Hoffman Black. 2016. Roadside Best Management Practices that Benefit Pollinators: Supporting Pollinators through Roadside Maintenance and Landscape Design. Prepared for US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. environment.fhwa.dot.gov/ecosystems/vegmgmt_pollinators.asp.

Keywords: adaptive management, burning, disturbance, diversity, duration, extent, foraging, forb, frequency, integrated management, intensity, invasive, method, milkweed, minimization, monarch, mowing, native, pesticide, preparation, public, region, reproducing, seed mix, seeding, signage, staff, stakeholder, structure, timing, woody