King County’s noxious weed board meets Jan. 17; Noxious weed list could grow by three

Noxious Weed Board may add yellow archangel, common fennel, spurge laurel to list

Yellow archangel, common fennel and spurge laurel may not sound like menacing species, but King County's Noxious Weed Board is meeting Jan. 17 to consider adding the three plants to its list of weeds that require aggressive control by property owners.

The public meeting is set for 4-6 p.m. at the King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson St., Suite 600.

Noxious weeds are non-native plants introduced to Washington that damage natural and agricultural resources or human health. They are highly aggressive and difficult to control.

To help protect the state's resources, the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board adopts a statewide noxious weed list each year. Each county's weed board then adopts a county noxious weed list that establishes which weeds property owners and public agencies are required to control in that county.

"King County recognizes the serious threat that invasive species pose to the county's resources and strives to use every tool available to prevent new infestations and reduce the impact of existing noxious weeds," said Steve Burke, a manager with King County's Noxious Weed Program.

The county's noxious weed list places a priority on preventing new infestations of the most serious noxious weeds, and encourages property owners to work together in stopping the spread of established noxious weeds.

The King County Weed Board will decide control requirements for three species that have been added to the State Weed List for 2007:

• Yellow archangel (Lamiastrum galeobdolon): this plant is often used in landscaping and flower baskets but has been found spreading into natural areas and forests and is capable of out-competing native forest wildflowers and groundcovers. It easily spreads from stem fragments and can often be found escaping from yard waste dump sites. The State Weed Board has classified this plant as a Class C weed, so it is not required for control, although it could be designated on a local basis.

• Common fennel (Foeniculum vulgare, except the bulbing variety azoricum): most often found in gardens or along roadsides, and potentially very invasive in open, grassy habitat. This plant is a Class B noxious weed but was not designated for control in King County. The county weed board has the option to require control on a local basis.

• Spurge laurel (Daphne laureola): in King County, this plant is mostly found scattered in urban parks, but it has become highly invasive in forests in parts of British Columbia and the San Juan Islands. This shade-tolerant evergreen shrub can produce dense patches, out-competing native plants for water and nutrients. Like fennel, it is also a Class B noxious weed but is not designated by the state for control in King County.

For more information on the King County Noxious Weed Board and the upcoming public meeting on the county weed list, please call or e-mail Burke for more information at 206-205-6927 or steve-j.burke@kingcounty.gov.

For more information on these new weeds and other changes to the state weed list, please visit the State Weed Board Web site and follow the link to the 2007 proposed weeds, or contact Alison Halpern at the State Weed Board at 360-902-2082, or noxiousweeds@agr.wa.gov.