Vegetation that grows along roadside areas can shade the pavement and slow the melting of snow and ice. So it stands to reason that removing the vegetation and increasing sunlight exposure could increase snow and ice melt, and potentially reduce the need for chemical deicers.
To help winter maintenance managers understand how sunlight affects melt rates, prioritize vegetation management, and communicate the benefits of roadside vegetation management to the public, this Clear Roads project produced a vegetation management guide that offers strategies for identifying shade-prone
road segments, prioritizing vegetation removal or pruning, and developing best practices that balance environmental impacts, safety and community preferences.
Download the final report and two-page brief: CR 23-04 – Using Vegetation Management Practices Near Roads to Leverage the Benefits of Solar Radiation, January 2026.