Weed Control
Salt Lake County Weed Control Program
The goal of the Salt Lake County Weed Control Program is to assist property owners in identification, prevention and suppression of noxious weeds within the county.
- Outside of their native origins, noxious weeds become oppressors with no known natural competitors to keep their populations in check. These silent invaders quickly begin to out-compete native plants, … forever changing our landscapes. Unlike other ornamental(s), … noxious weeds are nothing short of ecological time bombs.
- Salt Lake County Weed Control Program
The program, under the direction of the Salt Lake County Noxious Weed Board, works to achieve these goals through the following objectives:
- Management, including eradication and containment of listed noxious weeds,
on both private and public lands using Integrated Weed Management (IWM)
"Noxious weed" is a legal term used at the federal, state, and county level to identify and list plants that pose a significant threat to agriculture, the environment, recreation, and public health.
At the state level, The Utah Noxious Weed Act defines a noxious weed as " … any plant the commissioner determines to be especially injurious to public health, crops, livestock, land, or other property".
Integrated Weed Management (IWM) is multidisciplinary, ecological approach to weed management using education; prevention; physical or mechanical methods; biological control agents; herbicide methods; and other general land management practices.
IWM uses the most appropriate methods to meet the given weed control objectives over a given time frame, often multiple years.
Other program aspects that are coordinated with this decision-making approach include surveying, mapping, monitoring and restoration.
- Enforcement of the Utah State Noxious Weed Law
- On-site technical assistance to landowners on noxious and invasive weed identification and control
An Invasive Plant is "an unwanted plant that is not native to the area of infestation, and is capable of displacing native species." (California Weed Science Society. 2002).
Invasive plants are not listed on the State Noxious Weed List, but have the potential to become a listed noxious weed.
Therefore, the Salt Lake County Weed Control Program monitors invasive plant infestations.
- Education and outreach activities promoting noxious weed prevention, detection, and management
- Surveying, mapping, and monitoring of noxious and invasive weed populations throughout Salt Lake County
- Cooperation with other local agencies on weed management issues