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Urban Lot Management Program Activities

Noxious Weed Prevention and Control

Noxious weeds are non-native, invasive plants that tend to outcompete native vegetation. They are a threat to biodiversity and community ecology. Once the Forest Service identifies weed populations on urban lots, they are removed by hand and monitored throughout the field season to ensure effectiveness of treatments. In addition to removing and monitoring these invasive plants, the Forest Service also takes measures to prevent their spread. These measures include using weed-free materials for restoration projects and requiring crews and equipment to be weed-free before entering the forest.

The following is a list of two groupings of known priority noxious weeds in the Lake Tahoe Basin (last updated May 2004).  Selecting the links below will direct you to a description of each weed provided by non-Forest Service websites:

Sometimes noxious weeds can resemble native vegetation, making identification slightly more difficult. However, if you look closely, it is easy to see the differences between noxious weeds and native vegetation. For example, Bull thistle resembles the Anderson thistle, which is native to the Lake Tahoe Basin. If you look closely at the picture of Bull thistle, you can see that there are thorns along the stem and the flower is hour-glass shaped, whereas the stem on the Anderson thistle is smooth and the flower is straight-sided like a broom.

      
Bull Thistle                           Anderson Thistle
*Bull Thistle photo taken from Virginia Tech Weed ID Guide
*Anderson Thistle photo taken by Adam R. Paul (c)2003

Noxious weeds can be beautiful plants that people love to plant in their gardens and yards. However, this can promote their spread.

The noxious weed Dalmation Toadflax is a popular plant used in landscaping.
(Photo taken by Bob Nowierski, Montana State University.)

If you think you have found a noxious weed population, please contact the appropriate county's Weed Coordinating Group:

California:
El Dorado County
(530) 621-5520

Placer County
(530) 889-7372

Nevada:
Douglas County
(775) 782-9835

Washoe County
(775) 784-4848

If you have found a noxious weed population that is on National Forest System lands, please contact us.

For more information on noxious weeds visit the following links:

Nevada Department of Agriculture's Nevada Weed Action Committee

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

Natural Resources Conservation Service

Lake Tahoe Environmental Education Coalition

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