KC Weed News - March 2006  Topics Below
Weed of the Month: Poison-hemlock, Class C Noxious WeedMarch is an easy time of year to find poison-hemlock. Look for the large mounds of bright green, lacy-looking leaves rising up above the grass or along roadsides. You might also notice the hollow skeleton stalks from last year near the new plants. Poison-hemlock is a biennial, so the old flower stalks mark plants that have lived out their life span after dispersing up to 1000 seeds over the fall and winter. New seedlings that have been sprouting since late last summer will be building up root mass during the growing season and won’t flower until next year. However, the largest clumps of poison-hemlock that you see are second year plants that are building up the energy to flower this year, starting around June. Poison-hemlock is acutely toxic to people and animals, with symptoms appearing 20 minutes to three hours after ingestion. All parts of the plant are poisonous and even the dead canes remain toxic for up to three years. The amount of toxin varies and tends to be higher in sunny areas. Eating the plant is the main danger, but it is also toxic to the skin and respiratory system. When digging or mowing poison-hemlock, it is best to wear gloves and a mask or take frequent breaks to avoid becoming ill. One individual had a severe reaction after pulling plants on a hot day because the toxins were absorbed into her skin. The typical symptoms for humans include: dilation of the pupils, dizziness, and trembling followed by slowing of the heartbeat, paralysis of the central nervous system, muscle paralysis, and death due to respiratory failure. For animals, symptoms include nervous trembling, salivation, lack of coordination, pupil dilation, rapid weak pulse, respiratory paralysis, coma, and sometimes death. For both people and animals, quick treatment can reverse the harm and typically there are not any’t noticeable aftereffects. If you suspect poisoning from this plant, call for help immediately because the toxins are fast-acting – call poison-control for people and a veterinarian for animals. Besides the nasty side-effects, the other problem with poison-hemlock is that it is very competitive in our nice, mild climate and can spread rather aggressively along edges of fields, roads, ditch banks and into crop fields. Poison-hemlock is also sneaky. It looks an awful lot like parsley, fennel, chervil, anise and other members of the carrot family, making it a risk to people and children sampling wild plants. Two helpful clues to distinguish poison-hemlock are the strong, musty smell of the leaves and the purple blotches on the thick, hollow stems. Also, the leaves and stems are hairless, the flowering stems are branched, and the plant produces many small umbrella clusters of tiny white flowers. Poison-hemlock falls into the category of noxious weeds that are so widespread in King County that control is not required, but that all agencies and property owners really should try to remove if possible or at least contain to areas not accessible to people or animals. If you have poison-hemlock, it can be effectively controlled by manual or mechanical methods – pulling or digging up small plants, cutting below the crown for large plants, or repeated mowing starting in early April. Always use gloves when handling and wear a mask or take frequent breaks when cutting. If you have any questions or concerns about poison-hemlock, please feel free to contact us at noxious.weeds@kingcounty.gov or call us at 206-296-0290. The noxious weed program will once again offer two May workshops for vegetation management crews and others who need to identify and manage noxious weeds as part of their work. Using live specimens and slides, we will focus on how to identify and control noxious weeds that are designated for control in King County. In addition, we will have guest speakers present useful information on issues of concern to pesticide applicators and vegetation managers. We expect to offer WSDA pesticide recertification credits for both of these classes. - North King County Class: May 3, 8:30-11:30am, Bellevue or Bothell
- South King County Class: May 10, 8:30-11:30am, Kent
To register and receive updates on the class agenda, please contact Sasha Shaw at 206-263-6468 or sasha.shaw@kingcounty.gov. Please feel free to pass this information on to others who may be interested as well. Both classes are free and open to the public. Upcoming Weed Education for Property Owners - March 18 : Noxious Weed Info Booth at the Small Farm Expo in Enumclaw
- April 5 : WSU Extension’s “Wicked Weeds and Vermin Villains” with Todd Murray, Jennifer Andreas and Sasha Shaw, in Covington
- April 22 : Invasive Weed Info table at Shoreline’s Natural Yard Care Fair, Central Market, Shoreline, 9-3
If you would like more information or would like to schedule a weed workshop or an invasive plant display table at your community event, please contact Sasha (206-263-6468). Would you like to know where noxious weeds have been found in King County? Or which watersheds or regions they are impacting? Have you ever wondered if there are Class A or B noxious weeds near your property? Or on a parcel you were considering for purchase? You could find out by calling our office, but if you’d rather find out from the comfort of your own computer, you can search our noxious weed database online by way of the county’s iMap tool. This site does require a high speed connection but does not require any special software. Just go to our maps page and click on King County Noxious Weeds - Interactive Map. Getting around in the iMap viewer is fairly easy by using the tools on the left and the layers and features on the right side – zoom in on an area to see more detail, do a property search, get weed information by using the information button (i), add or remove features and layers (rivers, roads, urban growth line, etc) and more. If you would like more information on using this tool, call our office at 206-296-0290 and ask for Sean MacDougall or email the program. In 2005, the South Fork Skykomish Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA) received funding from the USDA Forest Service’s Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Resource Advisory Committees (RAC), to begin a knotweed control project in the watershed. The King County Noxious Weed Program, in coordination with the Forest Service, surveyed and controlled knotweed on national forest, state and private lands on the South Fork Skykomish, Tye, and Foss Rivers. The goal of the project is to reduce the impact of knotweed in the upper watershed and to prevent spread into the adjacent national forest. In 2005, the project built on data collected in 2003 and established the distribution of invasive knotweed in the Skykomish River Watershed and developed priorities for control/eradication with the key stakeholders. The first year goals of the project were overwhelmingly met in terms of surveys, coordination and recruitment of new CWMA partners, and selecting and treating priority sites. In total, 21 acres infested with knotweed were treated in 2005. A significant outcome of the project has been the development of the capacity of the CWMA to implement an effective long-term strategic knotweed control program. Check out the details on this exciting project in the 2005 South Fork CWMA Stakeholders Report or call our office at 206-296-0290 for more information. Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Invasives Removal Project Another great new project that is also taking a coordinated and strategic approach to invasives, is underway in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Valley. This beautiful 110,000 acre watershed is an increasingly popular destination for King County’s hikers, bikers, and campers. Efforts to clean-up the valley over the last 10 years have been spearheaded by the Middle Fork Outdoor Recreation Coalition (MidFORC). In early 2005, in an effort to further address the health of the watershed, MidFORC’s president Mark Boyar gathered key stakeholders, including representatives of the USDA Forest Service, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, and the King County Noxious Weed Program, as well as the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust and Cascade Land Conservancy, to discuss the concern over the expansion of noxious weeds in the valley. While less impacted than many of the surrounding basins, noxious weeds are increasingly spreading into the valley, helped by illegal dumping of yard waste, increased development at the head of the valley and increased public use. To get a handle on the extent of the problem, a comprehensive weed survey of the valley was begun through a combination of volunteer events and systematic surveys. In 2005, significant progress was made on surveying the upper valley and plans are underway for additional surveying and weed control activities throughout 2006. The Greenway Trust and Cascade Land Conservancy are teaming up with MidFORC to spearhead this project with support from the USDA Forest Service, State DNR and the King County Noxious Weed Program. For information on volunteer events, check out the Greenway Trust web site. National Invasive Weed Awareness Week: February 26 to March 3 Every year for a week, Washington DC hosts invasive weed representatives from around the country who get together with federal agencies and members of Congress to advocate for the importance of invasive weed actions and programs nationwide. This time of year is a great opportunity for communicating a coherent and unified message to the national leaders and elected officials on the issues of invasive weeds. Also, because the invasives issue is being highlighted in the Capitol by this event, it is an excellent time to contact your own representative or senator about the invasive weed concerns and needs in your area. The two legislative goals for this year’s invasive weed awareness week include: 1) funding the 2004 Noxious Weed Control and Eradication Act, and 2) passing the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act. For information on the activities of Invasive Weed Awareness Week this year, visit the NAWMA web site. Legislative Update: Washington Invasive Species CouncilFollowing up on efforts begun last year, there is once again legislation being considered in Olympia to establish a Washington State Invasive Species Council. In early February, the State Senate passed Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5385 to create an invasive species council in Washington State. To quote the bill: “The purpose of the council is to provide policy level direction, planning, and coordination for combating harmful invasive species throughout the state and preventing the introduction of others that may be potentially harmful. It is a joint effort between local, tribal, state, and federal governments, as well as the private sector and nongovernmental interests.” This Senate Bill has now been reviewed and passed by the House Committee on Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks. It would be an excellent time to express an opinion on this issue to your Representative. Our program believes that the proposed Council would be a positive step towards coordinating activities of the different levels of government in the state and towards developing a state-wide strategy on invasive species of all kinds. For more information on this legislation, contact our program at 206-296-0290 or call Steve McGonigal at the WA State Noxious Weed Board at 360-902-2053. |
