IPNF noxious weed treatments set to start in region

The Idaho Panhandle National Forests will be treating noxious weeds on National Forest System lands as part of an integrated pest management program that includes mechanical treatment, seeding of competitive native grasses, biological controls, and chemical treatment. Treatments will occur from May through October 2019 on roads, trails, trailheads and administrative sites located throughout each ranger district.

The Forest Service partners with tribes, counties, and the state of Idaho through the Good Neighbor Authority and Weed Cooperative Management Areas to prioritize, inventory, and treat weed-infested areas. The most common targeted weeds include: houndstongue, spotted knapweed, meadow hawkweed, orange hawkweed, St. Johnswort, Canada thistle, bull thistle, rush skeletonweed, dalmatian toadflax, yellow toadflax, leafy spurge, blueweed (vipers’ bugloss), common bugloss, Scotch broom, multiflora rose, Japanese knotweed, tansy ragwort, poison hemlock, and common tansy.

All areas considered for treatments are listed on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests website as authorized by each district’s noxious weeds environmental impact statement or environmental assessment.

For further information, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/ipnf/learning/nature-science or contact local district officials. For the Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry, and Priest Lake districts, contact Jeremy Kleinsmith at 208-265-6622, Sandpoint; or 208-267-6720, Bonners Ferry.