Noxious Weeds


Noxious and invasive weeds are plants considered harmful to livestock, agriculture, and wildlife, or otherwise negatively impact the landscape by (e.g., increase wildfire threat, reduced biodiversity). They are typically (but not always) nonnative species which spread rapidly at the expense of native vegetation.

Related resource topics for county planning include:

 


Map of Data


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Resource Information

“Outside of their native origins, noxious weeds become oppressors with no known natural competitors to keep their populations in check. These silent invaders quickly begin to out-compete native plants, … forever changing our landscapes. Unlike other ornamental(s), … noxious weeds are nothing short of ecological time bombs.”

From Salt Lake County Weed Control Program

Many species of exotic and invasive weeds exist in the Utah. Some species, however, have more potential to be “injurious to public health, crops, livestock, land, or other property”.[1] The Utah Noxious Weed Act of 2008 had defined 28 noxious weed species into three prioritization categories. In December 2015 the official State Noxious Weed list was updated to include 54 species and prioritization categories were modified as follows:

Class 1A: Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR) Watch List

Declared noxious weeds and invasive weeds that are not native to the State of Utah, are not known to exist in the state but pose a serious threat, and should be considered a very high priority.
Common crupina
Crupina vulgaris
Syrian bean caper
Zygophyllum fabago
African rue
Peganum harmala
Ventenata (North Africa grass)
Ventenata dubia
Small bugloss
Anchusa arvensis
Plumeless thistle
Carduus acanthoides
Mediterranean sage
Salvia aethiopis
Malta starthistle
Centaurea melitensis
Spring millet
Milium vernale

Class 1B: EDRR

Declared noxious and invasive weeds not native to the State of Utah that are known to exist in the state in very limited population, pose a serious threat to the state, and should be considered as a very high priority.
Camelthorn
Alhagi maurorum
Japanese knotweed
Polygonum cuspidatum
Garlic mustard
Alliaria petiolata
Blueweed (Viper's bugloss)
Echium vulgare
Purple starthistle
Centaurea calcitrapa
Elongated mustard
Brassica elongata
Goatsrue
Galega officinalis
Common St. Johnswort
Hypericum perforatum
African mustard
Brassica tournefortii
Oxeye daisy
Leucanthemum vulgare
Giant reed
Arundo donax
Cutleaf viper grass
Scorzonera laciniata

Class 2: Control

Declared noxious and invasive weeds not native to the State of Utah that pose a threat to the state and should be considered a high priority for control. Weeds listed in the control list are known to exist in varying populations throughout the state. The concentration of these weeds is at a level where control or eradication may be possible.
Leafy spurge
Euphorbia esula
Dyers woad
Isatis tinctoria
Medusahead
Taeniatherum caput-medusae
Yellow starthistle
Centaurea solstitialis
Rush skeletonweed
Chondrilla juncea
Yellow toadflax
Linaria vulgaris
Spotted knapweed
Centaurea stoebe
Diffuse knapweed
Centaurea diffusa
Purple loosestrife
Lythrum salicaria
Black henbane
Hyoscyamus niger
Squarrose knapweed
Centaurea virgata
Dalmatian toadflax
Linaria dalmatica

Class 3: Containment

Declared noxious and invasive weeds not native to the State of Utah that are widely spread. Weeds listed in the containment noxious weeds list are known to exist in various populations throughout the state. Weed control efforts may be directed at reducing or eliminating new or expanding weed populations. Known and established weed populations, as determined by the weed control authority, may be managed by any approved weed control methodology, as determined by the weed control authority. These weeds pose a threat to the agricultural industry and agricultural products.
Russian knapweed
Acroptilon repens
Musk thistle
Carduus nutans
Houndstounge
Cynoglossum officinale
Quackgrass
Elymus repens
Perennial pepperweed (Tall whitetop)
Lepidium latifolium
Jointed goatgrass
Aegilops cylindrica
Phragmites (Common reed)
Phragmites australis ssp
Bermudagrass*
Cynodon dactylon
Tamarisk(Saltcedar)
Tamarix ramosissima
Perennial Sorghum spp.
Sorghum halepense
Sorghum almum
Hoary cress
Cardaria spp.
Scotch thistle (Cotton thistle)
Onopordum acanthium
Canada thistle
Cirsium arvense
Field bindweed (Wild Morning-glory)
Convolvulus spp.
Poison hemlock
Conium maculatum
Puncturevine (Goathead)
Tribulus terrestris

*Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) shall not be a noxious weed in Washington County and shall not be subject to provisions of the Utah Noxious Weed Law within the boundaries of that county.

Class 4: Prohibited

Declared noxious and invasive weeds, not native to the State of Utah, that pose a threat to the state through the retail sale or propagation in the nursery and greenhouse industry. Prohibited noxious weeds are annual, biennial, or perennial plants that the commissioner designates as having the potential or are known to be detrimental to human or animal health, the environment, public roads, crops, or other property.
Cogongrass (Japanese blood grass)
Imperata cylindrica
Scotch broom
Cytisus scoparius
Myrtle spurge
Euphorbia myrsinites
Russian olive
Elaeagnus angustifolia
Dames Rocket
Hesperis matronalis

County Listed Weeds

Weeds in addition to the State Noxious Weeds declared noxious by local government weed control programs
Davis CountyMorgan CountySalt Lake CountyTooele CountyWeber County
Buffalobur
Solanum rostratum
Common burdock
Arctium minus
Garlic mustard*
Alliaria petiolata
Jointed goatgrass*
Aegilops cylindrica
Puncturevine*
Tribulus terrestris
Yellow nutsedge
Cyperus esculentus
Myrtle Spurge*
Euphorbia myrsinites
Puncturevine*
Tribulus terrestris

*Added to State Noxious Weed List in December 2015.

 

State land managers, local governments, and property owners are responsible for controlling weed species on the state’s noxious weeds list, and local weed species of concern if necessary. Weed control includes both lands under local management (roads, right-of-ways, parks, etc.) as well as enforcing weed laws on private lands. State law provides county weed managers the right to treat weeds on private lands (assuming proper notice is provided) if the landowner is unwilling or unable to treat the problem themselves, and seek reimbursement  or apply liens for the work.

Local Weed Control Programs Include:

County-specific Weed Control assessments and from Utah Association of Conservation Districts (UACD) and Natural Resource Conservation (NRCS):

Regional and State Weed Management Plans Include:

Weeds on federal lands are managed by each land management agency. The US Forest Service (USFS) addresses weeds in their 2003 Revised Forest Plan with the goals of preventing and reducing weeds across the Wasatch Cache National Forest.[2]  They further clarified weed management in the 2006 Noxious Weed Treatment Program EIS [3], in which the USFS targets species from state and local noxious weed lists.

The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) does not address weeds in the 1988 Pony Express Resource Management Plan. [4] Information on BLM’s nationwide strategy for weed management is available on their Invasive and Noxious Weeds website.


Best Management Practices

Prevention and early treatment are the most cost effective best management practices (BMPs).[5] Clearly, small areas are much less expensive to treat than those left to spread across the landscape. However, many weeds have expanded to large-scale infestations and can only be treated with substantial effort and cost. Each species of noxious weed has a unique seed dispersal method, making treatment highly variable across species.

Prevention

Noxious weeds are easily spread through contaminated agricultural machinery, livestock feed, hay, straw, soils, sod, nursery stock, and manure. Preventive measures begin by thoroughly cleaning agriculture machinery and equipment (which has come in contact with weeds) before it is transported to another location. Vehicles transporting seed, feed, and other agricultural materials should take measures to prevent spilling and spreading materials during transport. Transportation of topsoil, fill materials and construction equipment can also spread weeds.

Treatment

Once established, weeds must be treated to control further spread. Treatment includes:

  • Chemical control and containment (hand, vehicle, aerial)
  • Mechanical  treatments (mowing, discing)
  • Biological (insects, grazing livestock such as goats and cattle)
  • Physical (water removal, flooding, burning)

The Noxious Weeds data combined with the Ownership data can be used to identify large infestation areas within the county and the ownership of nearby land.

Cooperative Weed Management Areas (CWMAs): These provide weed control across large lands areas, like watersheds, without specific consideration of land ownership to more effectively treat weeds. CWMAs are also used to coordinate treatment efforts and pool resources. Weed control is most effective when all land managers and landowners act quickly to address infestations when they first begin.

CWMAs and their partners within the WFRC area include:

  • Bonneville CWMA.Tooele County, Salt Lake County, Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), US Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and USFS
  • Weber River CWMA. Weber County, Davis County, Antelope Island, Utah Department of Wildlife Resources (UDWR), UDOT, and BLM
  • Squarrose CWMA. Tooele County, USFS, Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, and Utah State University, and BLM

Weed control and treatment resources:


Economic Considerations

Weeds create significant economic impacts that need to be considered in each county’s resource management plan. Economic losses in the United States from weeds was over $20 billion.[6] It is estimated that without the use of herbicides revenue losses to the agricultural sector would increase about 500%. [7]

Economic considerations for counties include:

  • Direct expenditures. The UDWR allocates $200,000 annually to treat weeds. [8]  
  • Reduce Range Carrying Capacity for Livestock and Grazing. Dyers woad infestations can spread 14% a year and reduce range carrying capacity by 38%. [9] The BLM estimated weed costs in the west for control and lost production at $100,000,000 a year. [10]
  • Wildland Fire. Contiguous patches of weeds pose significant fire risks and seeding after wildfire is a necessity to recruit native species rather than weeds.
  • Agriculture. Direct control costs, crop and seed contamination, and equipment cleaning costs.


Impact Considerations
  • Wildlife habitat. Phragmites outcompetes native wetland vegetation and chokes out wildlife. [11]
  • Weed control impacts. Fire is a control method often used to treat phragmites, but smoke is a large air quality issue which must be considered in this region.
  • Increased wildfire risk and costs. Many noxious weeds, such as cheatgrass, are very flammable and increase the risk of wildfires. After a fire burns an area infested with noxious weeds, the weeds sprout before native plants and are able to dominate native plant species by quickly taking over water and soil resources. [12]


Data Download
  GIS Data Map Service Web Map Document  Tabular Data  Website
Data NameData ExplanationPublication DateSpatial AccuracyContact
Land Ownership
,
Surface Land Ownership; use Admin field to identify administrative agencyUpdated Weekly1:24,000State of Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA).
GIS Group
USFS Invasive Species
Current Invasive Plants feature class contains only the most recent or latest invasive Plant Infestation polygons collected by the National Invasive Plant Inventory Protocol. MetadataDaily1:24,000U.S. Forest Service Invasive Species Mapping;
Natural Resource Information System (NRIS)
Noxious Weeds in Utah
Identified weed locations in Utah1/18/2013VariableAGRC
Early Detection Distribution Maps (EDDMaps)
Early detection and distribution mapping system (requires free log in)Live dataVariableCenter for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health

References

  1. Utah State Legislature. 2015. Utah Noxious Weed Act – Administrative Rules. Enacted July 2, 2008, Modified December 15, 2015. (Accessed January 25, 2016.)
  2. U.S. Forest Service. 2003. Revised Forest Plan for the Wasatch -Cache National Forest, February.
  3. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Region. 2006. Wasatch-Cache National Forest Noxious Weed Treatment Program. Final Environmental Impact Statement. Wasatch Cache National Forest.
  4. U.S. Department of the Interior, US Bureau of Land Management. 1988. Proposed Pony Express Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement. Salt Lake District, September.
  5. Beck, G. K. Economics of Invasive Weed Control: Chemical, Manual/ Physical/Fire, Biological, and Doing Nothing. Invasive Plant Management Technical Webinar Series.
  6. Utah State University. 2010. Noxious Weed Field Guide 4th Edition.
  7. Utah Weed Control Association. 2004. The Utah Strategic Plan for Managing Noxious and Invasive Weeds.
  8. Utah Department of Natural Resources, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. 2009. Information Document for Invasive and Noxious Weed Control Project on Utah’s Waterfowl Management Areas. Publication No. 09-14, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  9. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Oregon State Office. 1985. Northwest Area noxious weed control program: Environmental Impact Statement–Final. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Oregon State Office.
  10. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 2011. “Noxious Weeds – A Growing Problem Uintah Basin Weed Management Partnership.” Accessed: 2/15/16.
  11. Schuske, K. 2013. An Invasive Grass Is Choking Utah’s Wetlands. Explore Utah Science. Accessed: 2/15/16. .
  12. Idaho Firewise. 2015. Wildfire and Idaho Landscape. Website accessed: 2/16/16.