|
Urgent Attention is Needed
Now on a Growing
Problem
For a lot
of people, it won't be
enough to say, "We've got a
terrible infestation of a
couple of noxious weeds,
Spotted Knapweed and
Dalmation Toadflax, in the
Bend area, and they are
blooming right now, and we
all need to get out there and
pull, or dig out, any weeds
we see near our homes, or
places we work or play.
Otherwise, they'll be all
over the place!"
For some, it won't even work
to state: "Helping your
neighbors clean up a serious
problem we have in Central
Oregon with two
state-registered noxious
weeds is a matter of pride.
These weeds have the ability
to take over vast areas of
rural and urban ground if not
checked. Every weed we remove
means fewer seeds and
spreading root systems that
can produce a whole lot more
weeds. Eradicating them is
the right thing to do."
But nearly everyone will
probably relate to the effect
that untreated knapweed and
toadflax infestations will
have on their pocketbooks.
Here are a few economic
considerations to mull over:
-
Weed-infested agricultural
ground makes food more
expensive. It costs a lot
of money to treat
productive ground for weeds
that are competing with
food crops for moisture and
nutrients. Weeds that are
not controlled lower both
the yield and the quality
of food crops, increasing
its cost to consumers. And
many noxious weeds are
either unpalatable or
poisonous to livestock,
causing weed-infested
pastures to be less
productive. On top of that,
farmland that is heavily
infested by noxious weeds
loses its market value,
impacting the availability
of good-quality arable
ground and thus, again,
raising the cost of
food for consumers.
-
The Forest Service, the
Bureau of Land Management,
the State of Oregon, and
Deschutes County all spend
money--the money they get
from you and me in
taxes--trying to eradicate
and control the spread of
noxious weeds on public
lands. (According to a
recent Bend Bulletin
editorial, the county alone
will spend $115,000 this
year on weed eradication
efforts.) Imagine what
other things that money
could be spent on, or what
we could use it for
ourselves, if we could get
rid of most of those weeds
once and for all?
-
Noxious weeds affect
private property values.
Most people know that such
weeds are not easy to get
rid of permanently, and
once started and not
controlled, they usually
tend to take over ground
from native plants. Now, if
you were considering the
purchase of property that
was infested with noxious
weeds, how would it impact
your purchase offer? Or,
would you lose interest in
the property all together?
-
And if that isn't enough,
consider the intangible
value of native plants that
we consider desirable but
may find it difficult to
put a monetary value on,
that are being crowded out
and overtaken by invasive
noxious weeds.
Okay, so now you're a bit
riled up, and feel like you
want to do something about
it, even if it's just for an
hour or two near your home or
somewhere particularly nasty
in your neighborhood. How do
you get started? Here's a
little check list:
-
First, you need to be able
to identify what you're
after. Above are some
photos of two major noxious
weeds in our area, Spotted
Knapweed, and Dalmation
Toadflax. Here are links
for seeing even more
photos:
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/weeds/w842w.htm and
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/weeds/w1239w.htm. Get
real familiar with them,
like they were a Friday
night date. For those of
you inclined to be
obsessively inquisitive,
here are a few more links
to get even more
information about noxious
weeds in general, and our
two pests in particular:
http://www.co.deschutes.or.us/go/objectid/8C9B69DC-BDBD-57C1-9C64DC53B659CBCE/index.cfm
http://www.co.deschutes.or.us/download.cfm?DownloadFile=CB34B5C1-BDBD-57C1-96135C5EAE6F1953
-
Then you need to know how
to deal with them once you
find them. It won't do to
grab them by the throat and
yank them out of the
ground. In most cases, that
will just leave broken
roots under the surface,
which will be delighted to
propagate new plants. You
need to get roots as well
as stems, leaves and
flowers. It helps to have a
tool like a small shovel, a
narrow trowel, or even a
long screw driver. Anything
that will help you loosen
the soil around and
underneath these villains.
-
Having the right materials
and supplies is
important, too. To pull
Spotted Knapweed, you need
gloves. That's because
these plants have a sticky
residue on the stems that
is easily absorbed by the
skin, and doesn't feel good
after awhile. Gloves makes
the process more
enjoyable--well, within
limits. Large bags (the
kind used for yard trash
works well), digging tools
mentioned above, plenty of
drinking water (this can be
a pretty thirsty job), sun
protection, and, of course
your plant identification
photos, are all helpful.
-
What to do with the many
bags of weeds you've dug
up? The best solution is to
toss them into the back of
your pick up truck (or your
neighbor's, if you have his
permission), and take them
to Knott's landfill on 27th
Street. It's also possible
to have curbside pickup
within the city limits on
certain days.
-
Now, go home, put your feet
up while drinking a cold
beer, and gloat: you've
done your good deed for the
day. Tomorrow, you can do
it all again for even
greater satisfaction!
For
additional information,
contact:
David
Light, CWNA Weed Committee
Chair,
dmlight@bendbroadband.com
Bill
Padgham, CWNA Weed
Committee, bpadgham@aol.com
Dan
Sherwin, Deschutes County
Weed Control,
541-322-7135
|
Century
West Neighborhood Association
.jpg)
.jpg)
