Noxious Weeds Make A Comeback

BEND, OR -- Yards and gardens are coming back to life after the long winter. But, that means noxious weeds are also making a comeback.

Deschutes County Forester Ed Keith says noxious weeds can cause big problems, this summer, if they’re not taken care of now. "Things are just starting to grow; just starting to warm up. People aren’t thinking about things yet because they’re not flowering. But, that doesn’t mean they’re not there. Now’s the time to take action before those seeds are formed, they start to reproduce and really take over our neighborhoods, our pastures, our farms, our fields." He tells KBND News, "You’ve got that much more work in the future, if you let those things go to seed. These are plants that are not native to our area, they come from other parts of the world. They’re highly invasive and they produce lots of seeds. For a typical Spotted Knapweed (pictured), it can be anywhere between 1 and 5,000 seeds per plant."

Keith says noxious weeds are non-native and can be dangerous for wildlife and crops. "It will, not only just take over your yard, but it can get out to, say, the National Forest and take over areas out there that we rely on to provide wildlife habitat and recreation areas. We don’t want those escaping and taking over our actual native vegetation." There is financial help for homeowners who find themselves overrun by noxious weeds.

Deschutes County’s annual “Let’s Pull Together” events take place in Bend and La Pine, next month, when volunteers help eradicate invasive species at public areas like parks and schools.

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Noxious Weeds Make A Comeback

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