Weeds of Medford
Click to edit
Master
District
oftitle
the style
BLM
 Of the 357 non-native plants documented here, there are over
30 listed noxious weeds that are present on the district…
more are coming, especially up I-5 out of California. Medford
is one of the major gateways for weed spread into Oregon
 The top ten species are:











Yellow starthistle
Scotch broom
Puncture vine
Himalayan blackberry
Rush skeleton weed
Dyers woad
Purple loosestrife
Japanese knotweed
Canada thistle
Meadow knapweed
Etc…
7/11/2017
1
Click to edit Master title style
7/11/2017
2
Weed “Hot Spots”
Click to edit Master title style
7/11/2017
3
Integrated Vegetation
Click to edit Management
Master title style
Prevention and education
Vehicle washing
Use weed-free seed and hay
Education outreach – brochures, fairs,
presentations to clubs etc…
Coordination
Membership in the Jackson and Josephine County
Weed Management Areas
Working with Oregon Department of Agriculture on
specific projects
7/11/2017
4
Private land owners
Integrated Vegetation
Click to edit Management
Master title style
Weed Treatments
Manual Control: Hand pulling, good for small sites,
sensitive areas, only effective for certain species:
<250 acres a year
Mechanical Control: Tilling, mowing (limited use in
woodlands and forest); mowing has some utility along
roads for certain species (reduce seed load), but
stimulates other species
Biocontrol insects: Only effective for certain species,
7/11/2017
5
certain conditions ~ 20 releases per year
Click
Integrated Vegetation
toManagement
edit MasterTreatments
title style
Continued
 Herbicide
 Spot spraying with backpack sprayers
 Nearly all treatments use Glyphosate
 Use non-ionic surfactants (even in the uplands)
 Only allowed to treat federal, state, and countylisted “noxious” weeds
 Currently ~ 3000 acres per year (5 year
average) using local contractors
7/11/2017
6
District Planning and
Click to editImplementation
Master title style
Follow the 1994 Strategy, the 1996 BLM “Partners
Against Weeds” Action plan, and the 1998 Medford
Weed EA
7/11/2017
7
District Planning and
Click to editImplementation
Master title style
 Botanical surveys document weed
populations as part of project planning on
federal lands
 Currently have documented > 10,000
acres for about 30 weed species on federal
lands
 Weed treatments may be part of other
management activities or as ‘stand alone’
projects
7/11/2017
8
How will Vegetation
Click toTreatment
edit MasterEIS
title Help?
style
Describes an array of new required Standard
Operating Procedures and Mitigations to minimize risks
to human and environmental health:
Water resources including wetlands
Vegetation including aquatic and rare plants
Fish and wildlife
Livestock including wild horses and burros
Human health and safety
7/11/2017
9
How will Vegetation
Click to edit
Master
title
style
Treatment EIS Help?
Currently nearly all chemical treatments used here are
with Glyphosate. We need a broader array of ‘tools in the
toolbox’ to improve ecosystem health and sustain
biodiversity
For example there are new herbicides that only target
noxious annual grasses (e.g. downy brome and medusa
head) in grassland and oak woodland restoration
Ability to use the same herbicides as partners and
cooperators (e.g. counties) in joint projects to improve
efficiency
7/11/2017
10
How will Vegetation
Click toTreatment
edit MasterEIS
title Help?
style
Treat other invasive vegetation (not just officially listed
noxious weeds)
Along rights-of-way, especially in conjunction with
partners (increase efficiency)
As part of a hazardous fuels reduction program
(reduce costs)
 Native ‘obnoxious’ species for example like poison
oak in recreation areas, or non-listed non-native
species that are affecting the environment
7/11/2017
11
District
level
Analysis
Click to edit
Master
title
style
Once the Statewide Vegetation Treatments EIS is
finalized, additional NEPA analysis would occur at the
District level
More site specific
Would tier to the State and National EIS’s
Tailored to Medford BLM District’s weeds and
local issues
7/11/2017
12