Click to edit Master title style 7/15/20151 Weeds of Medford District of the BLM  Of the 357 non-native plants documented here, there are over 30 listed noxious weeds that are present on the district… more are coming, especially up I-5 out of California. Medford is one of the major gateways for weed spread into Oregon  The top ten species are:  Yellow starthistle  Scotch broom  Puncture vine  Himalayan blackberry  Rush skeleton weed  Dyers woad  Purple loosestrife  Japanese knotweed  Canada thistle  Meadow knapweed  Etc…

Click to edit Master title style 7/15/20152

Click to edit Master title style 7/15/20153 Weed “Hot Spots”

Click to edit Master title style 7/15/20154  Prevention and education  Vehicle washing  Use weed-free seed and hay  Education outreach – brochures, fairs, presentations to clubs etc…  Coordination  Membership in the Jackson and Josephine County Weed Management Areas  Working with Oregon Department of Agriculture on specific projects  Private land owners Integrated Vegetation Management

Click to edit Master title style 7/15/20155  Weed Treatments  Manual Control: Hand pulling, good for small sites, sensitive areas, only effective for certain species: <250 acres a year  Mechanical Control: Tilling, mowing (limited use in woodlands and forest); mowing has some utility along roads for certain species (reduce seed load), but stimulates other species  Biocontrol insects: Only effective for certain species, certain conditions ~ 20 releases per year Integrated Vegetation Management

Click to edit Master title style 7/15/20156 Integrated Vegetation Management Treatments Continued  Herbicide  Spot spraying with backpack sprayers  Nearly all treatments use Glyphosate  Use non-ionic surfactants (even in the uplands)  Only allowed to treat federal, state, and county- listed “noxious” weeds  Currently ~ 3000 acres per year (5 year average) using local contractors

Click to edit Master title style 7/15/20157  Follow the 1994 Strategy, the 1996 BLM “Partners Against Weeds” Action plan, and the 1998 Medford Weed EA District Planning and Implementation

Click to edit Master title style 7/15/20158 District Planning and Implementation  Botanical surveys document weed populations as part of project planning on federal lands  Currently have documented > 10,000 acres for about 30 weed species on federal lands  Weed treatments may be part of other management activities or as ‘stand alone’ projects

Click to edit Master title style 7/15/20159  Describes an array of new required Standard Operating Procedures and Mitigations to minimize risks to human and environmental health:  Water resources including wetlands  Vegetation including aquatic and rare plants  Fish and wildlife  Livestock including wild horses and burros  Human health and safety How will Vegetation Treatment EIS Help?

Click to edit Master title style 7/15/  Currently nearly all chemical treatments used here are with Glyphosate. We need a broader array of ‘tools in the toolbox’ to improve ecosystem health and sustain biodiversity  For example there are new herbicides that only target noxious annual grasses (e.g. downy brome and medusa head) in grassland and oak woodland restoration  Ability to use the same herbicides as partners and cooperators (e.g. counties) in joint projects to improve efficiency How will Vegetation Treatment EIS Help?

Click to edit Master title style 7/15/  Treat other invasive vegetation (not just officially listed noxious weeds)  Along rights-of-way, especially in conjunction with partners (increase efficiency)  As part of a hazardous fuels reduction program (reduce costs)  Native ‘obnoxious’ species for example like poison oak in recreation areas, or non-listed non-native species that are affecting the environment How will Vegetation Treatment EIS Help?

Click to edit Master title style 7/15/  Once the Statewide Vegetation Treatments EIS is finalized, additional NEPA analysis would occur at the District level  More site specific  Would tier to the State and National EIS’s  Tailored to Medford BLM District’s weeds and local issues District level Analysis