Salem District12 northwest Oregon counties

Approximately 403,000 acres

BLM usually manages a small percentage of the land in any particular fifth-field watershed

Fragmented ownership pattern

Control methods: herbicides, mechanical, manual and biological control

Invasive Plant Management in the Salem District

• Prevention and detection • Education and awareness • Inventory • Planning• Integrated weed management • Coordination• Monitoring, evaluation, research and

technology transfer

Northwest Weed Management Partnership

An informal multi-agency network of individuals and organizations concerned with rural and urban invasive weed issues in northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington.

Six Cooperative Weed Management Areas and Four Species Working Groups

• Knotweed• False brome• Garlic mustard• Meadow knapweed

Cooperative Weed Management Area Advantages

• Technology transfer and information sharing

• Early Detection Rapid Response• Partnered projects• Annual Management and Operating Plans:

– Weed control and inventory projects– Outreach and education on priority

species to slow further spread and gain support for control efforts

Working Group Benefits – Coordination of education, inventory & prevention

activities – Sharing of technical information on control

methodologies and inventory results – Funding leveraging opportunities for inventory and

control projects– Support for biocontrol research efforts

Integrated Weed Management

Treatment Methods in Watersheds

Treatment Methods in Watersheds

Crabtree Creek

Devils Lake-Moolack Frontal

Five Rivers-Lobster Creek

Lake Creek

Little North Santiam River

Lower Alsea River

Lower Clackamas River

Lower Molalla River

Lower Siletz RiverMiddle North Santiam River

Nestucca River

Quartzville Creek

Rock Creek-Pudding River

Salmon River-Siletz River

Salt Creek-South Yamhill River

Scappoose Creek River

Spring Creek-Sand Lake-Neskowin Creek Frontal

Upper Alsea River

Upper Molalla River

Upper Nehalem River

Willamina Creek

Wilson Upper Nehalem River

Lower Nehalem River – Cook Creek

Marys RiverLuckiamute River

Mill Creek – South Yamhill River

Lower Sandy River

Salem District Integrated Weed Management areas

Manual/Mechanical Treatments in the Salem District

A cumulative total of 3,800 acres have been treated on 96 sites since 1996.

Manual/Mechanical Acres of Treatments (1996-2007)

5299, 50%

1496, 14%

884, 8%

1376, 13%

1041, 10%

498, 5%

Scotch Broom

Himalayan blackberry

Tansy ragw ort

Canada thistle

Bull thistle

11 Other species

Scotch Broom

Himalayan blackberry

Tansy ragwort

Canada thistle

Bull thistle

11 other species

Herbicide use in the Salem District

A cumulative total of 167 acres have been treated on 52 sites in the Salem District since 2004.

Herbicide use in the Salem District

Salem District Integrated Weed Management

NEPA Coverage

• Westside Salem Integrated Non-Native Plant Management Plan Decision Rationale EA # OR080-06-09

• Cascades Resource Area Invasive Non-Native Plant Management Environmental Assessment Decision Rationale EA # OR-080-02-02

• Both tiered to the Record of Decision for the Northwest Area Noxious Weed Control Program (May 1987)

Pesticide Use Proposals (PUPs) etc.

• PUPS ensure compliance with applicable laws, policies and NEPA decisions.

• Five levels of review and approval culminating with the deputy state director

• Adjacent land owners notification and coordination

• Applications are done by contractors and cooperators.

• Pesticide Application Records (PARs) – 24 /10

Biological Control in the Salem District

• Coordinated through the Oregon Department of Agriculture

• Uses approved natural enemies to invasive plants

• Important integrated weed management tool since the 1970’s

• Salem District already had a good distribution of available biological control agents in 1995

• No new releases have been made on Salem District administered lands since before 1995

Current herbicide use: glyphosate

If we could we would also be using: Imazapyr

Manual Control at Fishermen’s Bend

False brome manual treatment

Biological Control at Minsinger Bench

How Vegetation Treatment EIS Would Help

• Ability to treat invasive species other than officially listed noxious weeds with herbicides.

• Improve rapid response capabilities with more effective herbicides

• Easier to effectively coordinate with neighbors and partners on treatment projects

• Improve long term success and landscape health

• Reduce long term costs