The Usual Suspects

Day 163: My starting point isn't shown on this map, being some miles off to the left, but the coloured pins indicate locations where I spotted the Usual Suspects in my invasive-plant patrol of the 1300, 1330 and 2500 Rds., areas which I had not previously covered. The species are common: English Holly (Ilex aquifolium, of particular concern to Pack management), Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) and Tansy Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea). Invasive though they may be, the state requires control of only one of them (Tansy), and that because of its potential to kill livestock and therefore, its economic impact. It's always about the money. Always.

Let me explain a little about the classification of "noxious weeds" (read, "invasive plants"). Washington state classifies them in three categories: A, B and C. Class A plants are recent invaders. They haven't been here long enough to be a major problem, but they have the potential. Class A noxious weeds must, by law, be controlled by property owners. Likewise, Class B invasives by law require control, but they are species which are already prevalent in some portions of the state. The guiding methodology in this case is to work toward eradication while limiting their spread to other unaffected locales.

Now we come to Class C noxious weeds like Digitalis and English Holly. They are quite widespread and very common. Control of these species drops from state jurisdiction to that of individual counties. Control may or may not be required. Most counties opt for a program of education, i.e., offering land owners the opportunity to learn more about the harmful effects of these plants on the overall ecology. Yeah, right. We all see how well that's working, don't we? Even Pack Forest (part of the University of Washington's forestry program) has been disinclined to take appropriate steps to eliminate these weeds.

The war against Class C invasives can be won, although it may seem like trying to dip the ocean dry with a teaspoon. For example, if every person in the state removed one dozen Himalayan Blackberry plants, it wouldn't make a dent in the overall view. Still, organizations like the Nisqually Land Trust have been quite successful in clearing Himalayan Blackberry from many of their properties with the help of volunteers. While Pack Forest has focused on ridding their sustainable-forestry plots of English Holly, they're allowing Tansy and Digitalis to spread unchecked along roadsides and in clearcuts. Their lack of environmental responsibility makes me angry. I'd expected better of my neighbours.