How much mitigation is enough?
• This is not an easy question to answer. In applying the NRCS Pest Management Standard, there is no numeric “T” value to use as a target. Current NRCS Field Office pesticide risk screening tools are qualitative (e.g., Low, Intermediate, High) rather than quantitative (e.g., .5 tons/acre). Since pesticide pollution is often intermittent and at low concentrations, it is difficult to quantify sufficient mitigation, especially in the short term. We must therefore rely on the professional judgement of conservation planners to implementation mitigation techniques that have been shown effective by research. Finding the right set of management techniques and conservation practices that do not over or under mitigate will take collaboration with researchers and practical experience.
