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JEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR'S BRIEFING AGENDA REQUEST
TO: Board of County Commissioners
FROM: Philip Morley, Couuty Administrato
DATE: May 6, 2013
SUBJECT: Noxious Weed Control Board Briefing on Draft Policy For Targeted Weed Control On
Jefferson County Roads
STATEMENT OF ISSUE:
The Jefferson County Noxious Weed Control Board is developing a Draft Policy For Targeted Weed Control
On Jefferson County Roads for managing noxious weeds within Jefferson County road Rights of Way.
Weed Board staff and Weed Board members will describe a Draft Policy they are considering adopting at the
Weed Board's next meeting, May 17. No action by the BoCC at the May 6 briefing is necessary.
ANALYSIS:
The Jefferson County Noxious Weed Control Board operates pursuant to Chapter 17.10 RCW, which lays
out a statewide weed control structure as well as the responsibilities and powers of each County Noxious
Weed Control Board. While the majority of the Jefferson County Weed Board's control efforts are through
manual or mechanical means, the Weed Board does use limited and direct application of herbicides to control
noxious weed outbreak sites where mechanical and other preferred eradication measures have not been
practicable or timely. Over the past year Jefferson County's Noxious Weed Control Board and the Board of
County Commissioners have received extensive input by citizens who farmed Jefferson County Ecological
Roadsides and other concerned citizens contesting the use of herbicides by the Weed Control Board. In
particular, they have expressed concern about the use of glyphosate and its potential impact on human health,
other plant species, insects, and on soil and water.
In response to these concerns, the Weed Board has prepared the Drafr Policy For Targeted Weed Control On
Jefferson County Roads. The Policy formalizes an Integrated Weed Management strategy, which lays out a
weed control hierarchy of methods for controlling noxious weeds in County Rights of Way. The hierarchy
favors preventive practices, cultural practices, mechanical controls, biocontrols, and lastly selective hand-
spraying of herbicides. Herbicides, if used, are to be chosen to be least risk to the environment and human
health and those whose manufacturers provide full disclosure of ingredients are to be favored.
The Draft Policy also includes a Site Specific Management Strategy, divided by listed noxious weed and road
sections. It shows the history of control methods employed, and proposed methods for 2013. The Strategy
also identifies demonstrafion sites to test alternative control methods to improve practices in future years.
The Site Specific Management Strategy seeks to expand volunteer efforts through an Adopt-A-Weed-Patch
Program; community volunteer events, and a Weed Busters Certification Program for citizens.
A copy of the Weed Control Board's a Draft Policy For Tazgeted Weed Control On Jefferson County Roads
is attached for your information.
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS:
No financial impact.
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Boazd of County Commissioners hear the briefing, ask questions; and provide
feedback about the Draft Policy as appropriate. No formal BoCC action is requested. The Jefferson County
Noxious Weed Control Board will consider taking action on the Draft Policy at the Weed Board's next
meeting, May 17.
REVIEWED BY:
~-~/r_
i'Iip~Mor` y, o ~ rator Date
ATTACHMENT:
• Draft Policy For Targeted Weed Control On Jefferson County Roads
JEFFERSON COUNTY NOXIOUS WEED CONTROL BOARD
380 Jefferson Street Port Townsend WA 98368
360 379-5610 Ext. 205
edixon~co.jefferson.wa.us
POLICY FOR TARGETED WEED CONTROL ON JEFFERSON COUNTY
ROADS
Noxious weeds in Jefferson County are a costly problem, impacting the local economy by causing damage to
agriculture, property, the environment, and animal and human health. County roads are vectors for the
movement of noxious weeds. Controlling weeds on county roads reduces spread, costs, and impacts.
The Jefferson County Road Department and Jefferson County Noxious Weed Control Board are working
cooperatively to address the spread and increasing populations of noxious weeds in an environmentally
responsible manner. With limited funding and resources, citizen volunteers are an integral part of our strategy.
The follo~~ ing is adopted by the Jefferson Count- Noxious Weed Control Board 1s policy guidance for managing
noxious weeds within Jefferson County rights of «a~-:
POLICY 1-VEGETATION CONTROL FOR LINE OF SIGHT AND SAFETY IN COUNTY
RIGHTS-OF-WAY:
1. County road crews will manage vegetation (in county rights-of-way) for line of sight and safety
through mechanical means only.
2. County road crews will coordinate with the Weed Board to avoid mowing noxious weeds when
seeds might be spread.
POLICY 2-MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES FOR NOXIOUS WEED CONTROL:
2 a. Priority Weeds in Jefferson County:
1. All State Weed List Class A species (eradication required)
2. Those Class B weeds which are designated by the State Weed Board for control in Jefferson
County (B-des). (Control is defined as "preventing all seed production and preventing the
dispersal of all propagative parts capable of forming nezv plants". See WAC 16-750-003
for definition.)
3. Class B and Class C species, as annually selected for control (see above for definition) by the
Jefferson County Noxious Weed Control Board (B-select or C-select)
4. Any species on the State Weed List, newly found in Jefferson County.
2 b. Integrated Weed Management (IWM):
1. The Jefferson County Noxious Weed Control Board will use an integrated approach to noxious
weed control that utilizes regular monitoring to determine if and when treatments are needed.
The approach emphasizes prevention, followed by cultural, manual, mechanical and biological
methods to keep weed infestations contained and to prevent spread (see definition of "control"
above). When chemical controls are necessary, they will be the least toxic available and will be
used only when no other control methods would be effective or practical.
2. The Weed Board, in partnership with Jefferson County GIS Services, will maintain and update
maps and databases documenting locations of noxious weed populations, and tracking the
efficacy of the IWM approaches applied in their control.
3. The Weed Board recommends that volunteers be utilized in manual control of weeds, and that
control methods such as covering and\or mulching be tested and evaluated. See below in 3c.
1
2 c. Weed Control Hierarchy (to be followed in descending order as applicable:
2e
1. Preventative practices, such as cleaning mowing equipment to prevent spreading seeds or plant
parts
2. Cultural practices such as covering with cardboard or fabric, mulching, or installing native plants
to help prevent re-infestation
3. Hand pulling or digging, as appropriate for the plant's biology and as labor and resources allow
4. Mowing orweed-whacking to prevent seed production, as appropriate for the plant's biology and
as labor and resources allow
5. Biocontrols-insects, goats or managed grazing
6. Selective hand-spraying of herbicide
7. Monitoring and evaluating all methods to inform adaptive management
2 d. Selecting Optimal Strategies:
Treatment strategies will be selected based on their being:
1. Appropriate for the target plant's biology
2. Least hazardous to human health
3. Minimal impact to non-target organisms
4. Least damaging to the general environment
5. Best preserves the site's native ecosystem
6. Most likely to produce permanent reduction of the target weed
7. Cost effective in short and long term
8. Timely relative to the outbreak's growth and reproductive cycle
Guidelines for Herbicide Use:
1. Herbicide use is a last resort pursuant to the weed control hierarchy (2c) and selection process
(2d) above.
2. Herbicides will be chosen for least risk to the environment and to human health.
3. Preference will be given to pesticides of those manufacturers who provide full disclosure of all
ingredients.
4. Before spraying herbicide, the Weed Board will inform County Roads staff and adjacent
landowners two
some days.
5. The Weed Board
prior, when and
6. All sprayed sites
7. Spray records wi
and will be avail
of dates, since weather may preclude spraying on
tify the public via the Weed Board website and the ListServ, two weeks
spraying will take place.
posted in accordance with Federal and State regulations.
pt in accordance with Washington Department of Agriculture regulations,
the public any time they are requested.
8. Spraying will take place only with hand-held or back-pack sprayers.
9. Persons spraying will make every effort to spray only the targeted weed.
10. Spraying will be conducted only by state-certified Pesticide Applicators.
11. If herbicides are used in buffers or Critical Areas the Weed Board will consult with the Jefferson
County Departments of Community Development and Environmental Health, and any other
relevant governmental agencies.
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3 c. Non-chemical control methods and community involvement-
3
4.
5
1. As of May 2012, the Weed Board has designated three demonstration sites to test non-spraying
control methods and to compare efficacy with sprayed sites. The three sites are:
a) Wild chervil at MM 4 on Eaglemount Road-this has already been mulched by volunteers.
b) Wild chervil at MM 1 on Center Road-will be cut or pulled, covered with mill felt and
eventually re-seeded with grass seed.
c) Meadow knapweed at MM 2 on West Valley Road-as above.
2. Volunteers will be recruited to pull and dig all target species at sites identified in Policy 3b., Site
Specific Plan, starting on Page 3.
If these sites, and the three listed above, are not controlled successfully by non-chemical
methods, the Weed Board will proceed to the next method in the IWM hierarchy meeting
compliance with State weed law, and within program budgetary constraints.
The Weed Board will annually evaluate
chemical), and will communicate those
board website and ListServ.
The Weed Board will expand progran
the practice of non-chemical control
a) Adopt-A-Road Program
b) Adopt-A-Weed Patch Prograr
c) Weed Busters Certification Pr
d) Community volunteer events
REFERENCES:
• Washin
htt
oxi
• Washington Administrat
description of region boi
http://a pps.le~.wa.~ov/~
• Thurston County's Inte~i
of methods (non-
c via the weed
mmunity partners and volunteers in
sources are available, such as:
/eed Law, RCW 17.10, available at
default.asox?cite=17.10.
ode (WAC) 16-750, includes the states Noxious Weed List and
cries and areas of required control for Class B weeds. Available at
/defa u It.asox?cite=l6-750.
Pest Management Plan, available at