The City has received a grant from the Department of Agriculture for the purpose of eliminating buckthorn on private properties within the City limits and is seeking an On-Call Buckthorn Slayer. The City’s preference is to contract with a Buckthorn Slayer on a set price/hour (with a one-hour minimum per call), on an as-needed basis.
Public outreach will occur and the City will work to better educate the public about the problems with buckthorn. As buckthorn is discovered, the City’s Code Enforcement Division will be notified and will then send notification to the landowner regarding the availability of the program. If the landowner chooses to participate in the program, a trained buckthorn killer/remover will arrive and kill/remove buckthorn from their property, spread grass seed and in some cases, provide replacement shrubs, dependent upon grant funds availability.
The City is seeking an on-call buckthorn slayer that could respond to calls and respond to the residences where buckthorn has been found to kill and/or remove it. The City’s preference is to contract with a buckthorn slayer on a set price/hour (with a one-hour minimum per call), on an as-needed basis.
The chemicals used to kill buckthorn do not require a pesticide or applicators license. There are a variety of ways to kill or remove buckthorn and what will be the best way to remove it varies with plant size, location, accessibility, time of year, weather, and soil texture and possibly a couple of other variables. If needed, City staff will train contractor on both plant identification and various techniques for effecting death or removal of buckthorn. The Contractor will need to supply the herbicide and all tools necessary for effective eradication. The contractor is also responsible for transportation, a current driver’s license and insurance as outlined below.
• Workers' compensation and employer's liability coverage (or exemption) as required by Montana law.
• Commercial general liability, including contractual and personal injury coverage’s -- $750,000 per claim and $1,500,000 per occurrence.
• Automobile liability -- $1,500,000 per accident.
Eradication work must be scheduled, preferably when the homeowner is present, so they can together go over the details of what will be involved. Many homeowners will have other plants they will want left undisturbed or minimally disturbed. If there are a lot of buckthorn present, the change to the appearance of yards can be substantial and homeowners should be made aware of that before work begins.
Once treatment is complete, the contractor will be asked to remove cut brush from the yard and hauled to a City-owned property at which buckthorn will be piled and chipped.
Research has shown that buckthorn control is more effective if the site is immediately re-vegetated. With that in mind, grass seed will be distributed over the area cleared of buckthorn and the homeowner advised of this and encouraged to water grass (depending on time of year) to help it grow.
In some cases, landowners will be reimbursed for purchase of replacement shrubs for the property. To obtain purchase reimbursement the property owners will provide receipt proof of purchase documentation to the City. Maximum reimbursement per property is $100 until grant funds are exhausted.
Please contact Trina Adams, Code Enforcement Clerk at 406-237-6146 or adamst@billingsmt.gov for the quote form or for more information.
Only electronic submittals will be acceptable for these quotations. No hand delivered quotes will be accepted.
Proof of insurance must also be submitted.