News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The U.S. Forest Service wants to launch an aggressive campaign to roll back an invasion of foreign plants that threaten to choke native vegetation on the Deschutes National Forest.
The agency is looking for public comment on a proposal to pull weeds, spray with herbicides, burn, and assault weeds with insects at 235 sites.
The main enemy in the Sisters country is two varieties of knapweed - diffuse and spotted - which infest sites along roads and spread rampantly when their seeds are carried around on car tires and in people's clothing.
The Forest Service plans a three-pronged assault on the weeds in the Sisters locations, hand-pulling or treating the plants with an herbicide spray. Insect parasites will also be brought into the fray.
They plan to attack concentrations at the Sisters Ranger District compound at the west end of Sisters, and along Three Creeks Road south of town. The Three Creeks Road site is critical because it leads into pristine wilderness where sensitive plants could be threatened.
Foresters will also treat the area along Indian Ford Road to defend a large population of the rare Peck's penstemon, which is vulnerable to the invading knapweed. They will also conduct a sweep along Highway 20 east of Sisters, spraying a heavy concentration of weeds within the first few miles of town, and hand pulling farther along the highway.
In all, about 11 sites are listed for action in the Sisters area.
Public comment on the proposal is open until January 30. Address comments to Rick Dewey, Assistant Forest Botanist, 1645 Highway 20 East, Bend, Oregon 97702. Phone 383-5725.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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