Noxious Weeds on Campus King County校园毒杂草王县.pptVIP

Backyard Invasions: Noxious Weeds in Seattles Greenspaces Sasha Shaw King County Noxious Weed Program 206-296-0290 sasha.shaw@ Agenda Definitions Impacts of Invasives in Urban Areas Invasive Vines, Trees, Shrubs and Other Plants What Can We Do? Resources What is a Weed? a plant out of place takes water, nutrients or habitat from desired plants (subjective) threatens an area’s values or benefits Are All Weeds Bad All the Time? Lots of weedy plants are used by birds, insects and people One person’s weed can be another person’s pride and joy Native plants used to be called weeds and still are for some! What are Native Plants? Adapted to local climate and soils; foundation for local ecosystem Co-evolved with native animals Provide food, shelter, nesting materials for wildlife What is an Invasive Weed? Non-native, aggressively spreading Destructive Competitive Difficult to control Some invasive weeds resemble native plants Invasive weeds exploit conditions similar to their home range and don’t have natural enemies keeping them in check What is a Noxious Weed? Non-native plant that impacts agriculture, wildlife, human health, land values or natural resources Defined and regulated by state law (RCW 17.10) control required only where weed is not widespread goal of law is to prevent spread of new invaders to un-infested areas What are the Weed Classes? Class A Weeds – new invaders, control required statewide, still a chance to eradicate Class B and C Designates – control required in King County, still have a chance to stop them from getting established Non-Designates and Weeds of Concern – widespread invasive weeds in King County, control not required but definitely a good idea whenever possible! How do weeds get here? Noxious Weeds Run Amok: Impacts of Invasive Weeds Impacts to Waterways Impacts to Recreation Impacts to Public Health Impacts of Invasives in Seattle Seattle Urban Nature Project City-wide Surveys 1999-2000 and 2005 8,000 acres of public lands in Sea