2109.14,30 Page 1 of 7 FSH 2109.14 - PESTICIDE-USE MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION HANDBOOK WO AMENDMENT 2109.14-94-1 EFFECTIVE 12/06/94 CHAPTER 30 - PROJECT TYPE AND PERSONNEL This chapter provides guidelines to forest land managers who are responsible for planning and selecting qualified project personnel (FSM 2150) and conducting efficient pesticide-use projects. 31 - PROJECT TYPE. Pesticides are used by resource managers for a variety of purposes for projects ranging from housekeeping-type uses to operational use for pest prevention or suppression (sec. 14). Plan such a project according to its size and complexity. 31.1 - Research. 1. Research may be conducted on registered pesticides to: a. Determine efficacy against a new pest; b. Evaluate a pesticide's fate in the environment; or c. Field test a pesticide on a small scale. 2. Research may be conducted on an unregistered pesticide to: a. Determine efficacy; b. Identify proper dosages; c. Identify a proper formulation; d. Evaluate appropriate application methods; or e. Determine environmental fate (FSM 4500). 31.11 - Technology Development Projects. Technology development projects involve research to evaluate pesticides after laboratory screening and the field experiment stage. Technology development projects involving pesticides require the preparation of a Pesticide-Use Proposal (Form FS-2100-2). 31.12 - National Agricultural Pesticide Impact Assessment Program Research. The National Agricultural Pesticide Impact Assessment Program (NAPIAP) supports research on registered pesticides to help maintain their forestry and range uses. NAPIAP-supported research is the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) primary point of input into the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) special review process. The Special Review process gathers information on the risks and benefits of pesticides that have been singled out by EPA for immediate review because of specific identifiable problems. The Forest Service role in special review is to provide members for NAPIAP assessment teams and to coordinate and conduct research and impact evaluations to fill identified data gaps related to forestry uses. The Chief has designated the Washington Office Forest Pest Management (FPM) Staff as the Forest Service lead for NAPIAP activities. The day-to-day activities of NAPIAP are accomplished through a Technical Advisory Group (TAG). Assessment teams formed by TAG on each pesticide that is undergoing special review prepare a comprehensive Pesticide Assessment Report (Report FS-2100-E) on the pesticide undergoing review. The effort includes gathering information on exposure to humans as a result of actual application practices. All agricultural and forestry uses, both major and minor, are identified. A complete economic analysis, including the benefits of all the various uses, is also developed and estimates of impacts to the consumer, grower, or land manager are included. The report also covers the fate of the pesticide in the environment--air, soil, water, plants, fish, and wildlife- -under actual use conditions. These reports by the assessment teams also identify important data gaps. NAPIAP funds appropriated to USDA and the Forest Service are used to fund the collection of this data. 31.2 - Housekeeping-Type Pesticide-Use Projects. Use housekeeping-type pesticides for purposes of general maintenance. Special precautions, other than those on the product label, are usually unnecessary. 1. Specific activities in this category include: a. Fly, wasp, ant, roach, and mosquito control; b. Spot control of poison ivy/oak in recreation areas; c. Use of disinfectants in toilets; d. Lawn weed control; e. Use of insect or tick repellents; f. Use of readily available rat and mouse rodenticides; and g. Use of homeowner-type products for human/pet health and comfort in and around Forest Service structures, vehicles, offices, laboratories, greenhouses, dwellings, grounds, or campgrounds. 2. The following activities are not considered household- type pesticide uses: a. Subslab treatment for termite control; b. Building fumigation; c. Fire hazard reduction with herbicides; d. Use of soil sterilants; e. Pest control in food handling areas; and f. Wood preservation with pentachlorophenol, creosote, or related inorganic arsenicals. Follow appropriate pesticide-use management and coordination direction when the use of these non-housekeeping types of pesticides is contemplated. 31.3 - Demonstration Projects. Demonstration projects are designed to show a specific pesticide, deployment technique, or use strategy is effective for a particular pest management situation. Use demonstration projects as a follow-up to satisfactory field experimentation and/or pilot testing. Post signs near demonstration areas to inform the public of a project's purpose and intended results. 31.4 - Operational Projects. Plan for the operational use of pesticides in pest prevention or suppression projects only when the materials are properly registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or appropriate State agency. Complete a Pesticide-Use Proposal (Form FS-2100-2) for each project. Obtain review and approval of the proposed pesticide use by the appropriate line officer (FSM 2151). Plan for operational pest management projects on National Forest System lands or in cooperation with State, private, or other Federal entities. 31.41 - National Forest System Lands. Programs to prevent or suppress pests on lands administered by the Forest Service are the responsibility of Forest Service land managers. Certain kinds of pesticide-use activities on National Forest System lands can involve other Federal agencies such as the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for predator control (FSM 2650) and range insect control (FSM 2245) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for endangered species recovery efforts (FSM 2672). Forest Service personnel shall participate in the development of all plans and direct these activities on National Forest System lands. The application can be done by specialists from another agency. In addition to the general direction for the use of pesticides in FSM 2150, the following program areas have specific guidelines for the use of pesticides: Staff Program Area Reference 1 Timber Site preparation, release, FSM 2470 . Management thinning and nursery and seed orchard management. 2 Recreation, Recreation and wilderness FSM 2320 . Heritage and area management. Wilderness Management 3 Range Rangeland insect and FSM 2240 . Management vegetation control. FSH 2209.22 4 Wildlife, Predator, trash fish, and FSM 2630 . Fisheries other animal damage and 2650 and Rare control. FSH 2609.22 Plants 5 Engineering Rights-of-way vegetation FSM 2160, . control, equipment 7110, and development, storage 7160 facility construction, and FSH 7109.11 hazardous materials management. 6 Lands Use of pesticides by FSM 2710 . holders of special-use permits, leases, and grants. 7 Fire and Use of pesticides in fuels FSM 5150 . Aviation and fuelbreak management Management programs. 8 Personnel Protection of employee FSM 6710 . Management health. and 6730 FSH 6709.11 and 6709.12 31.42 - Cooperative Pest Management. The operational use of pesticides in forestry often requires careful coordination and close working relationships among various landowners and managers. The application of pesticides is the land manager's responsibility on land administered by other Federal agencies, State agencies, and private individuals. However, Forest Service forest pest management field units shall furnish pesticide-use technical assistance, as appropriate, to other Federal agencies or non-Federal cooperators. This assistance is similar to the kinds of technical assistance provided to cooperative forest insect and disease suppression projects (FSM 3400). Pesticide use on lands of intermingled ownership requires careful planning and coordination to ensure the intended pest control objectives are met without causing unreasonable adverse impacts on humans or the environment. Planning includes the development of a joint pest-control rationale to avoid any inconsistency in the decisionmaking process. Decisions on who will administer pesticide application projects on lands of intermingled ownership must be made early in the planning process. The lead agency or organization is often the organization administering the most land in the area, although special expertise or other needs may dictate selection of another agency. In all situations, the Forest Service shall provide pesticide-use management expertise, as necessary, to ensure successful completion of cooperative pest management projects. 32 - PERSONNEL NEEDS ON MINOR-USE AND OTHER SMALL PROJECTS. Minor-use projects usually involve very small amounts of pesticide active ingredient, typically less than one pound active ingredient of any pesticide (except sodium cyanide and strychnine). Such minor-use projects generally involve less than ten cumulative acres. Because of their size, most small projects involve limited numbers of personnel. 32.1 - Housekeeping-Type Pesticides. Specialized personnel are usually not required when pesticides are used for housekeeping purposes, such as general maintenance of Forest Service structures, offices, laboratories, greenhouses, dwellings, and campgrounds. In other cases, a small project may require personnel who are specifically qualified to perform certain tasks. For example, if restricted-use pesticides are involved, the applicator must be certified in the appropriate category(ies) or must be supervised by a certified applicator (sec. 34.2). In other cases, it may be appropriate to contract for the services of a commercial pest control operator as, for example, for pest control in food handling areas or for building fumigation or termite control. These personnel should be supervised by District or Forest personnel, as appropriate. 32.2 - Small Operational Projects. Small-scale operational pesticide-use projects often require little or no formalized organization of personnel, other than the designation of a project supervisor. For example, one-time projects to control unique pest situations or recurrent projects on small acreages may be conducted by a project supervisor and a minimum number of personnel who have been adequately advised of proper-use techniques and hazards. Generally, these small-scale projects involve ground application methods. In special-use situations (such as seed orchards) aerial applications may be conducted to protect valuable resources in a very limited area. In these cases, the seed orchard manager may be the pesticide project supervisor. 32.21 - Ground. Use ground pesticide-application equipment for most small-scale operational projects. Examples of small-scale ground applications include: Insecticide applications with backpack or hydraulic sprayers to protect trees in high value areas such as campgrounds and herbicide applications using backpack applicators in reforestation areas or on small noxious- weed infestations. 32.22 - Aerial. Use aerial application techniques on small projects such as seed orchards, small (less than 10 acres) reforestation areas, habitat improvement situations, right-of-way vegetation management, and other situations where the aerial application of pesticides is conducted to protect or enhance valuable resources in limited areas. 33 - PERSONNEL NEEDS ON LARGE AND COMPLEX PROJECTS. Large projects normally require a well-structured organization or unified command. For this purpose, the Forest Service generally relies on the Incident Command System as the basic organizational structure for managing large-scale pesticide projects for insect and disease control, vegetation management, and other similar projects or incidents. However, other organizational approaches can be used based on local need and circumstances. The Incident Command System (ICS) is an organizational sub-system of the National Interagency Incident Management System (NIIMS), a system designed to provide commonality and consistency among agencies at local, State, and Federal levels for emergency- preparedness (FSM 5134, FSH 5109.17, ch. 10). The organizational structure is based on a large fire organization. ICS should be used for many other kinds of agency emergencies, projects, and incidents. The system is very flexible and may be used for large pesticide-use projects. The "Basic ICS Student Manual" is a useful reference document for the ICS system, which can be ordered from the National Interagency Coordination Center at the National Interagency Fire Center (order NFES #1579). 34 - PESTICIDE TRAINING. Only personnel who are adequately trained and qualified in the proper use of pesticides shall implement pesticide-use projects (FSM 2154). Training can be informal or formal, but it must be planned in advance and supervised. 34.1 - Informal. Informal training in the use of pesticides can include everything from tailgate sessions to supervised on-the- job training. Use informal pesticide training to provide employees with how-to information in simple, understandable, non-technical terms. One goal of such training is to give project workers an appreciation of the importance of their work, the significance of pesticides in helping to accomplish it, and the relevant safety precautions. Self-instructional texts are intermediate between informal and formal training. Plan for their use as appropriate. 34.2 - Formal. Formal training in pesticide-use ranges from classroom instruction in an academic institution to advanced internal or external training in the use of pest management tools, including models, equipment, and integrated pest management strategies. Formal training often culminates in testing or other evaluation, which, in turn, can result in certification. Use formal training when employees must be certified prior to their use of restricted-use pesticides. Certification of these employees should follow the guidelines in the EPA-approved "USDA Plan for Certification of Forest Service Employees Engaged in Applying or Supervising the Application of Restricted-Use Pesticides." 35 - HEALTH MONITORING FOR PESTICIDE PROJECT PERSONNEL. Establish a set of procedures for monitoring the health of employees when necessary, based on a risk assessment and safety plan for pesticide application. These procedures can be routine or emergency (FSM 2153). 35.1 - Routine. Perform routine medical surveillance on employees who are exposed to particular kinds of pesticides on a regular basis; for example, weekly during a field season or daily for a week. If employees complain of what they consider mild pesticide-related symptoms, obtain routine medical attention. If more severe situations arise, treat them as emergencies. 35.2 - Emergency. Provide immediate attention by medical personnel to personnel who are involved with pesticide-use activities that involve accidental spills, eyesplashes, sudden onset of rashes, or pesticide poisoning. Provide followup health monitoring until symptoms subside. When consulting a physician about symptoms believed to be related to pesticide use, always provide a copy of an appropriate pesticide label and a Material Safety Data Sheet (sec. 41.11). One, or both, will be needed to identify appropriate follow-up action.