Weed warriors attack invasive species

On some 193 million acres of national forest, the National Forest Foundation (NFF), a non-profit that contributes to the Forest Service, works every day to make our forests cleaner and safer.

On Saturday at Suttle Lake, weed warriors from across Central Oregon focused on eradicating weeds from public and private lands.

Boy Scout Spencer Smith came out as a service project for the scouts. The Nugget asked Smith to explain why it was important to pull invasive species.

"Knapweed is a noxious weed because it's roots release a chemical that doesn't allow native vegetation to grow, and the seeds have a life of seven years," he said.

"He pulls weeds at home," said his mother Lisa, "but it's more of a conscription."

Her son corrected her. "Now that I know about noxious weeds, I am more inclined to do this again," he said.

While the day's main focus was on pulling spotted knapweed, Sisters Ranger District Biologist Maret Pajutee showed samples of other non-native species. St. John's wort, oyster plant, mullein and thistles, she explained, can be pulled and tossed. They don't need to be bagged on Forest Service land unless they are in flower.

Non-native thistles are easily recognizable as they are more prickly than native varieties.

Pajutee cautioned anyone going out to pull weeds at this time of year to be aware that it's tick season.

Several of Camp Sherman's weed warriors pull weeds in the area on a regular basis and came out in their continuous battle to eradicate weeds.

"I've seen areas where these weeds have taken over," said Susan Shaull, "and it's huge. I'm here to do anything I can do to keep these invasive species from taking over in our corner of the world."

Indeed, a few years ago, spotted knapweed virtually knocked out Montana's cattle industry by destroying grazing land.

Several families came out to volunteer. Suttle Lake residents Ruth Lovegren her daughter Paula and granddaughter Danielle have been cleaning up around the lake for the past few weeks.

"The Forest Service came out and helped me identify the species better, especially St. John's wort," Ruth

said.

"We pull weeds at home," said Paula, "but now I know what to look for, especially knapweed."

Norm Park, of Park Enterprises in Prineville, came out to pull weeds as a way of giving back to the Forest Service. His business product pressure-washes the undercarriage of fire trucks before and after a fire to get rid of weeds. They recycle the water and filter out the seeds and dispose of them.

Volunteer and student of COCC's Forestry Program, Joseph Wertz, is an avid outdoorsman.

"I think it's time to give back," he said, "I mountain bike, hike, back pack, and I and my dog enjoy the outdoors quite a bit."

After pulling three invasive species of spotted knapweed, St. John's wort, and blue grass, weed pullers enjoyed a barbecue provided by Let's Pull Together. Karly Hedrick of the NFF handed out hats, scarves, gloves, T-shirts and tote bags provided by Columbia Sportswear and REI - gear for the next weed outing.