Guidelines for Coordinated Management of Noxious Weeds: Development of Weed Management Areas

Reprinted with permission from: TEAM Leafy Spurge Website. September 26, 2001. http://www.team.ars.usda.gov/ Published by: U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and U.S. Forest Service Guidelines for coordinated management of noxious weeds: Development of weed management areas (*Article begins on the following page.) Page i of 228 Guidelines for Coordinated Management of Noxious Weeds: Development of Weed Management Areas Table of Contents Section I Introduction & Acknowledgments .........................................................................1 Section II Purpose and Organization of Weed Management Areas .....................................5 Purpose of Weed Management Area ........................................................5 How to Organize a Weed Management Area ...........................................7 Section III Awareness, Education, and Training .................................................................. 11 Awareness and Education Objectives ....................................................12 Training Objectives .................................................................................13 Section IV Prevention and Early Detection ..........................................................................15 Early Detection and Eradication Requirements ......................................15 Prevention Requirements .......................................................................16 Fire Suppression & Site Rehabilitation Plans .........................................18 Section V Weed Survey & Mapping ....................................................................................21 Survey Field Methods .............................................................................21 Mapping Procedures ...............................................................................23 Infestation Delineation ............................................................................24 Section VI Integrated Weed Management ...........................................................................29 Integrated Weed Management Programs ...............................................29 Integrated Weed Control Techniques......................................................30 Section VII Monitoring and Evaluation ..................................................................................35 Monitoring ...............................................................................................35 Evaluation ...............................................................................................36 Section VIII Reporting ............................................................................................................39 Reporting Procedures .............................................................................39 Discussion ..............................................................................................40 Section IX Management Plan / Annual Operating Plan .......................................................41 Guidelines for Management Plan ...........................................................41 Guidelines for Annual Operating Plan.....................................................43 Section XGlossary and Abbreviations..(not included on this CD)......................................45 Appendix 1 Sample Contracts, Agreements and Memorandums of Understanding .............51 Professional Personal Services Contract ...............................................51 Disturbed Site Rehabilitation Contract ....................................................56 Closure Order .........................................................................................57 Inter-Agency Quarantine Agreement ......................................................58 County Weed Control Plan .....................................................................61 Weed Management Cooperative Agreement ..........................................62 Source of Material Contract ....................................................................65 Cooperative Agreement Between Landowners in a WMA ......................66 Invitation to Bid .......................................................................................69 Contractor Agreement.............................................................................70 Bid Form .................................................................................................72 Pesticide Application Contract ................................................................73 Contract Requirements - Specifications .................................................77 Appendix 2 State Noxious Weed Laws, Regulations and Policies ........................................83 Appendix 3 Federal Noxious Weed Laws, Lists, Regulations and Policies ...........................93 Federal Agency Contacts ........................................................................93 Federal Noxious Weed Act ...................................................................103 Federal Agency Policies .......................................................................104 Appendix 4 Regional Weed Free Forage Certification Standards ....................................... 113 Appendix 5 Guidelines for a Public Meeting ........................................................................123 Checklist for Setting up a Public Meeting .............................................125 Meeting Preparation Form ....................................................................126 Public Meeting Agenda .........................................................................128 Appendix 6 Noxious Weed Information Questionnaire ........................................................129 Appendix 7 Reporting Forms ...............................................................................................131 Appendix 8 Monitoring Techniques......................................................................................135 Noxious Weed Photopoint ....................................................................140 Photograph Narrative ............................................................................141 Appendix 9 Noxious Weed Data Bases ...............................................................................143 Appendix 10 Site Assessment Worksheet .............................................................................147 Appendix 11 Guidelines for a Management Plan and an Annual Operating Plan .................151 Appendix 12 Guidelines for a Safety Plan .............................................................................163 Appendix 13 List of Weed Names and Codes .......................................................................171 Appendix 14 List of Information and Resources ....................................................................225 Appendix 15 Funding Sources ..............................................................................................227 Some graphics in this document from “Selected Weeds of the United States,” Agriculture Handbook No. 366, March 1970. Drawings by Regina O. Hughes. Section I Introduction and Acknowledgments Weeds in the Western Undesirable invasive plants continue to spread into uninfested ar- States eas in the western United States. Invasive plants and noxious weeds infest native plant communities in increasing numbers throughout this area. Public concern about the harmful effects of uncontrolled weeds con- tinues to increase. Unacceptable levels of weeds adversely affect crop and forage production, wilderness, wildlife habitat, visual qual- ity, recreation opportunities, and land value. Land managers face a serious challenge to develop and conduct effective programs for controlling the spread of noxious weeds. The western states encompass over 890 million acres that include national forests, national parks, federal reservations, national wildlife refuges, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclama- tion land, state lands parks, and private lands. This area includes fourteen contiguous states — Arizona, Califor- nia, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. World renowned for its renewable resources, this area offers out- door recreation opportunities, scenery and geologic features, and attracts millions of people annually. These guidelines provide a unified effort in developing a weed management program, including public awareness; a prevention program; a common inventory, mapping, monitoring, and reporting pro- cedure; and methods of integrated weed management. An overall management plan and specific action plans can be developed for logical units of land within specific Weed Management Areas (WMAs). Any management area with common characteristics can be divided into WMAs. These WMAs become the land unit for the development of a comprehensive Noxious Weed Management Plan. These areas replace jurisdictional boundaries in favor of natural boundaries that facilitate cooperation, coordination, and implementation of effective integrated weed management programs for noxious weeds. Local County Weed Districts are an important driving force in developing weed management programs for these areas. 1 — Introduction & Acknowledgments Section I Use of the Guidelines These guidelines are for use by local landowners and land managers when developing weed management programs. They are de- signed to be used

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