Do Weeds in Northwestern
Washington Have Anything
to Say to Alaskans?
Tim Miller
WSU Mount Vernon NWREC
Here’s what I’d tell
you about how to avoid
the weed problems we
have in WA…
In many ways, I think
Alaskans can learn a
lot from the weed
experiences we have
had in Washington
=
Reed Canarygrass in WA
Reed Canarygrass in AK
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Few things are harder
to put up with than
the annoyance of a
good example.
…but I don’t want
this talk to sound as
if we have all the
answers!
(We don’t)
Mark Twain receiving his
Doctorate of Literature from
Oxford University in 1907
Richest
man in the
world
Purple-est
loosestrife
in the world
So we
Washingtonians
have our problems
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“Better Living
Through
Technology!”
Tim Miller,
age 10
Photo taken at his
childhood home in
Gooding, ID
Washington’s Advice To Alaska
• Number 1:
• Don’t let new weed populations get
themselves established!
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Washington’s Advice To Alaska
• Number 1:
• Don’t let new weed populations get
themselves established!
– The Knotweeds
The Knotweeds
Bohemian
Giant
Himalayan
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Washington’s Advice To Alaska
• Number 1:
• Don’t let new weed populations get
themselves established!
– The Knotweeds
– The Hawkweeds
Leafy
Meadow
The
Hawkweeds
Orange
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Washington’s Advice To Alaska
• Number 1:
• Don’t let new weed populations get
themselves established!
– The Knotweeds
– The Hawkweeds
– The Knapweeds
Diffuse
Meadow
Yellow Starthistle
Spotted
The
Knapweeds
Russian
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Washington’s Advice To Alaska
• Number 1:
• Don’t let new weed populations get
themselves established!
– The
– The
– The
– The
Knotweeds
Hawkweeds
Knapweeds
Toadflaxes
Dalmatian
The
Toadflaxes
Yellow
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Washington’s Advice To Alaska
• Number 1:
• Don’t let new weed populations get
themselves established!
– The Knotweeds
– The Hawkweeds
– The Knapweeds
– The Toadflaxes
– And many others…
Oxeye Daisy
Washington’s Advice To Alaska
• Number 1:
• Don’t let new weed populations get
themselves established!
– The Knotweeds
– The Hawkweeds
– The Knapweeds
– The Toadflaxes
– And many others…
Oxeye Daisy
Aim for Early Detection, Rapid Response
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Weed Invasion Curve
W
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Increasing Time
Weed Invasion Curve
W
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D
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y
Introduction
Increasing Time
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Weed Invasion Curve
W
e
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D
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t
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Lag Phase
Introduction
Increasing Time
Weed Invasion Curve
W
e
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D
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t
y
Introduction
Explosive
Growth Phase
Lag Phase
Increasing Time
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Weed Invasion Curve
W
e
e
d
D
e
n
s
i
t
y
Explosive
Growth Phase
Lag Phase
Introduction
Naturalization
Phase
Increasing Time
Washington’s Advice To Alaska
• Number 2:
• Watch out for weed seed hitching a
ride in feed/forage, plants, seed, and
equipment coming to Alaska from the
lower 48
Scotch broom along roadside
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Watch for Weed Propagules!
• Seeds and other plant
parts can move…
– By wind
– By water
– By animals
– By humans through
contaminated seed,
feeds, forage, manure,
compost, topsoil,
equipment, and vehicles
Washington’s Advice To Alaska
• Number 2:
• Watch out for weed seed hitching a
ride in feed/forage, plants, seed, and
equipment coming to Alaska from the
lower 48
– Watch for hitch hikers on logging
equipment, construction equipment, farm
equipment, and recreational equipment
and vehicles
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Clean equipment before moving to new sites
Washington’s Advice To Alaska
• Number 2:
• Watch out for weed seed hitching a
ride in feed/forage, plants, seed, and
equipment coming to Alaska from the
lower 48
– Watch for hitch hikers on logging
equipment, construction equipment, farm
equipment, and recreational equipment
and vehicles
– Insist on tight certification standards to
certify hay, crop seed, and ornamentals to
be as weed free as possible
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Kudos!
Alaska Weed Free Forage
Certification Program,
Montana Noxious Weed
Seed Free Forage Program,
Oregon Weed Free Forage
Program, Idaho Noxious
Weed Free Forage and
Straw Program
(there is no similar program
in Washington yet…)
Washington Noxious Weed Law
• Class A
– Non-native, invasive, very limited in distribution
– Eradication required throughout state
• Class B
– Non-native, invasive, regional distribution
– Where limited, control required by state law
– Where widespread, county board decides on control
• Class C
– Widespread distribution, county decides on control
– Or more information required by state weed board
• Monitor List
– Watch new species to determine if they should be
added to the noxious weed list
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Washington Quarantine List
• Managed by WSDA
• Regulations to
prevent direct sale
of noxious weeds or
contaminated stock
• Purchase, transport,
distribution, sales
• Nurseries, garden
stores, etc.
Anybody want to
buy a pretty little
ground cover?
Washington’s Advice To Alaska
• Number 3:
• Continue to ramp up programs to
educate Alaskans about the weeds
that are becoming problematic
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Washington’s Advice To Alaska
• Number 3:
• Continue to ramp up programs to
educate Alaskans about the weeds
that are becoming problematic
– The more eyes out there the better: a
vigilant citizenry is your best weapon
against weeds coming in under the radar
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Washington’s Advice To Alaska
• Number 3:
• Continue to ramp up programs to
educate Alaskans about the weeds
that are becoming problematic
– The more eyes out there the better: a
vigilant citizenry is your best weapon
against weeds coming in under the radar
– Provide training/brochures for hunters,
fisherman, back country guides and pilots,
land management agency personnel
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State Weed Awareness Programs
include websites, PSAs, brochures, etc.
Montana
Idaho
WA State Noxious Weed List
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Washington’s Advice To Alaska
• Number 4:
• At the risk of sounding somewhat selfserving, add weed scientist faculty
position(s) at UA, and expand weedrelated positions with federal and state
agencies
Washington’s Advice To Alaska
• Number 4:
• At the risk of sounding somewhat selfserving, add weed scientist faculty
position(s) at UA, and expand weedrelated positions with federal and state
agencies
– It is vitally important to maintain a good
research and extension program in
coordination with USDA-ARS research
personnel (Steve Seefeldt, Jeff Conn) to
develop answers for Alaskan weed
problems in Alaska
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An active research
program can really help us
better understand the
problems, and therefore
the solutions, to nonnative weedy vegetation
Butterfly Bush Injury
Cut-Stem Treatments
100
80
Aquamaster
Renovate
Habitat
Cut only
60
40
20
0
5 months after 12 months after 6 months after
spring treatment spring treatment fall treatment
Genetically Engineered Biocontrol Organisms for
Horsetail (Equisetum spp.) Control
Tim Miller1, John Hammond2, and Henry Wu3
1Washington State University, Mount Vernon
2BioSyn and 3InGen, Isla Nublar, Costa Rica
Materials and Methods
Through genetic manipulation of fossilized DNA in a process pioneered
and patented by BioSyn and InGen, miniature dinosaurs of the genera
Triceratops and Stegosaurus were engineered. Resultant mini-dinos
measured 15 to 30 cm in length, in approximate ratio to the projected
maximal height of the fossilized, extinct Calamitaceae horsetails with
actual sauropods of the same period. Preliminary feeding studies showed
that engineered mini-dinos preferentially grazed on such familiar species
as field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) and scouring rush (E. hyemale),
with secondary preference for bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) and sword
(Polystichum munitum) ferns.
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Engineered mini-dinos
preferentially grazing
Equisetum arvense and
Equisetum hyemale
Blueberries before
dino grazing
Blueberries after
dino grazing
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Potential Biocontrol for Alaskan Weeds?
Engineered mini-dinos display poor cold tolerance
Sometimes It All Works
One (Seriously) Good Example from Washington
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Sometimes It All Works
One (Seriously) Good Example from Washington
• Kudzu found in
Washington in 2001!
– Four plants covering less
than 1000 feet were
discovered on private
property in Vancouver,
Washington (Clark County)
– Reported to the Weed
Coordinator
– ID confirmed (Pueraria
montana = P. lobata)
Sometimes It All Works
One (Seriously) Good Example from Washington
– Vines were removed by hand, bagged,
and sent to landfill
– Four root crowns located were treated
with Garlon 4 (undiluted) to each cut
stem at the root crown
– Treated root crowns were marked with
stakes to aid in future location
– Adjacent property was surveyed for
additional plants but none were found
– Species was added as a Class A
Noxious Weed
– No re-establishment in last six years
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Washington’s Advice To Alaska
Finally…
never doubt
it:
We can win
this fight!
And it is
worth
fighting for!
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