Weed Management Areas offer a cooperative approach to noxious weed control

While the name may lack pizzazz, Weed Management Areas (WMAs) are exciting to those concerned about the menace of noxious weeds. These are organizations that include private landowners and city, county, state, and federal land managers that meet to coordinate work against invasive weeds. Most WMAs in California have been initiated by the County Agricultural Commissioner¹s Office or a Federal agency. All but five counties now participate in the WMA program.

Part of the program¹s success comes from recent legislation that provides funding to WMAs. This money is being used by local groups for a variety of projects including cost-share programs with private landowners, roadside weed management, controlled burns, weed pull days, introduction of biological control agents, mapping, educational programs, demonstration plots and more. The California Department of Food and Agriculture is hiring additional staff to work on weed management area projects.

Why have invasive weeds become such a high priority? Over the last decade or so there has been a growing awareness of the great damage wrought by invasive species. It has been estimated that competition from invasive species is responsible for the decline in 18% of endangered species. These effects on species decline are second only to direct destruction of habitat.

Invasive weeds are generally non-native species that have escaped the predators and pathogens of their native lands. Without these checks, they are able to reproduce rapidly and displace native species.

As invasives spread, they can greatly alter ecosystems, affecting the chemical composition of the soil, changing fire patterns, affecting soil erosion, and altering wildlife habitat.

Noxious weeds are also responsible for economic losses. They can reduce livestock forage by crowding out palatable species and some are even toxic to livestock. In timberlands, they can aggressively compete with tree regeneration.

Noxious, or invasive, weed species have one or more of the following traits:

• aggressively invading non-native
• detrimental to economic crops or native plant communities
• poisonous to livestock
• harms the environment

The state has designated lists of alien weeds (http://pi.cdfa.ca.gov/weedinfo/sortbyrating2.htm). Placement on list A, B or C depends on extent, seriousness, and control methods for each species.

Type ³C² weeds--State endorsed holding action and eradication only when found in a nursery; action to retard spread outside of nurseries at the discretion of the commissioner; reject only when found in a cropseed for planting or at the discretion of the commissioner.

Type ³B² weeds--Eradication, containment, control or other holding action at the discretion of the commissioner.

Type ³A² weeds--Eradication, containment, rejection, or other holding action at the state-county level. Quarantine interceptions to be rejected or treated at any point in the state.

Learn more about Weed Management Areas at their website http://pi.cdfa.ca.gov/wma/. This site also has a map that will put you in touch with your local WMA. In addition, there is information on noxious weeds, legislative updates, and a very comprehensive listing of funding sources.

Another great source of information is Noxious Times, a newsletter produced by the California Interagency Noxious Weed Coordinating Committee. Noxious Times can be found on the web at http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/noxioustimes or contact CDFA, ATTN: Noxious Times, 1220 N St., Room A-357, Sacramento, CA 95814 or noxtimes@cdfa.ca.gov.

You can help

• Be aware of the problem of invasive species and learn to identify those found in your area.
  
  
• Watch for new weed populations as part of your land management activities. Weeds often establish along roads and disturbed rights-of-way and along waterways. Periodically inspect these areas.
  
  
• Create a weed management plan for your property (see page 10). Discuss your plan with neighbors and consider cooperative projects with them.
  
  
• Avoid transporting weed seeds stuck on clothing, gear, pets, vehicles, or livestock. Don¹t clean vehicles in weed-free areas.
  
  
• Report new infestations of known weeds and those not previously found in the area to the county weed supervisor.
  
  
• Buy certified weed-free hay, straw, and mulch.
  
  
• Minimize soil disturbance; bare soil provides an ideal environment for weed establishment.
  
  
• Reseed disturbed areas with native plants.
  
  
• Limit use of fertilizers when reseeding; their use may favor weeds over native perennial species.
  
  
• Join an organization concerned with noxious weed control. Examples include your local Weed Management Area, CalEPPC, California Native Plant Society, The Nature Conservancy, or other local organizations.