Invasive plant treatments begin
By Paul Hall on Wednesday, May 5th, 2021 in Northeastern Oregon News Northeastern Oregon Top Stories
La Grande – (Information provided by Wallowa-Whitman National Forest) The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest has begun an integrated approach of manual, mechanical, herbicide, biological control, and cultural treatments to reduce the risk of invasive species expanding on the Forest. This work is being implemented under the 2010 and 2016 Records of Decision for the Invasive Species Treatment Project.
Invasive species negatively affect biodiversity, wildlife habitat, streamside vegetation, and forage for wildlife and domestic livestock. Invasive plants targeted for treatment include leafy spurge, meadow hawkweed, orange hawkweed, sulfur cinquefoil, whitetop, knapweeds, rush skeleton weed, Scotch thistle, Canada thistle, whitetop, yellowstar thistle, yellow toadflax, Japanese knotweed, puncturevine, rose campion, hound’s tongue, and bugloss.
Treatment sites are located across the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and will be posted at the time of treatment. A blue marker dye that will fade over time will be mixed with herbicides to alert people of where product has been applied. Herbicide treatments will be carried out following the project design features of the 2016 Record of Decision for the Invasive Plants Treatment Project.
Herbicides to be used include aquatic-labeled glyphosate, aquatic-labeled imazapyr, aminopyralid, chlorsulfuron, clopyralid, imazapic, metsulfuron methyl, triclopyr, and picloram. Manual and mechanical treatments are planned for a number of small infestations, some of which have been treated for over a decade and are subsequently greatly reduced in size. Herbicide treatments will be carried out following the project design features of the Record of Decision for the Invasive Plants Treatment Project.
Treatment on the forest is expected to continue through October. The majority of herbicide treatments will be done with “spot application” to individual invasive plants using truck sprayers, backpack sprayers, and all-terrain vehicles. Limited broadcast application is also planned along a small subset of roadsides and gravel pits.
For more information on the invasive plant program, including maps of potential treatment sites, please visit the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest’s invasive plants web page. For more specific information on the timing and location of herbicide treatments, please contact the local invasive plant coordinators:
La Grande and Whitman Ranger Districts, Scott Schaefer – (541) 962-8550
Hells Canyon NRA, Eagle Cap and Wallowa Valley Ranger Districts, Beckjo Wall – (541) 426-5535 For additional information, contact Maura Laverty, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Range
