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City staff highlight grazing, reduced pesticide use and outreach in 2025 IPM annual report
Summary
City staff reported reduced herbicide use, consolidation of structural pest control contracts, Jonathan Melani’s PCA licensure, roughly 9,000 mechanical and volunteer labor hours, continued sheep/goat grazing for fuel and weed control, and targeted prescribed burns recorded as 14–15 acres at South Fork Preserve.
City of Davis staff presented the 2025 Integrated Pest Management annual report and described program changes, outreach and field results to the Climate and Environmental Justice Commission.
John Mcnery, ecological resources program manager, and Jonathan Melani, environmental compliance coordinator, said the city consolidated structural pest management under a single contractor (Advanced IPM) through a competitive process and that Jonathan earned his Pest Control Adviser (PCA) license after completing required coursework and examinations. Staff reported they tracked just over 9,000 hours citywide for mechanical, cultural and volunteer IPM labor in 2025; that total includes volunteer time.
The report emphasized nonchemical approaches: grazing with sheep and goats to reduce fuel loading and control invasive weeds, targeted hand‑pulling and mulching, and selective prescribed fire. John said prescribed burns have been used successfully in upland oak savannah and grassland at the South Fork Preserve in cells of about 14–15 acres, but burns are constrained near riparian habitat and species of concern.
Staff also described pesticide use trends: most 2025 chemical applications came from the city’s reduced‑risk pesticide list and pre‑emergent herbicides have been helpful in traffic‑constrained medians. Applications are performed by trained staff using standard PPE and calibration practices; some higher‑toxicity products are applied in contained placements to limit off‑target exposure.
Public outreach includes signage and the Greener Davis newsletter (staff reported a subscriber list of about 16,000 email addresses), retail “shelf‑talker” kiosks at retailers through the Water Our World program, and an opt‑in notification list for imminent chemical applications. Commissioners praised the outreach and suggested expanding school and tribal engagement around grazing and cultural burning.
Commission discussion covered community concerns and safeguards: electric fencing used with grazing was described by staff as usually psychological and often deenergized; staff said they exclude sensitive plantings to avoid tree girdling and monitor for wildlife interactions, citing an observed indifferent interaction between sheep and the Sacramento Valley red fox in one instance. Commissioners and staff emphasized continued monitoring and adaptive site plans.
The meeting also opened with a brief announcement: Commissioner Jim Kramer announced his pending move to Sacramento and received a council letter of appreciation read by the mayor.
What’s next: staff will continue implementing IPM operations, refine outreach messaging around grazing, pursue the policy updates recommended to council, and return annual reporting to the commission.
