Officials issue public notice to rid yards of 'noxious weeds'

ST. GEORGE — Property owners across the state have been given notices to control the spread of "noxious weeds." The notices serve as a warning and have been posted by counties statewide, stating that weed control measures may be imposed by county authorities under the Noxious Weed Act.

"There are 54 listed noxious weeds in the state of Utah, and they are ranked in different categories or classes," said Washington County Noxious Weed supervisor Brad Winder. "There's a different meaning or rank to each of those classes on how important they are. Some on the list are not believed to be in Utah yet, but are on high, high watch."

Winder said that each of the 29 counties across the state has a noxious weeds supervisor, adding that in Washington County specifically, they have found weeds in the highest classification that require immediate eradication.

"About five years ago, we located a Class 1-ranking weed in Washington County, which is the Malta starthistle," he said. "We've been endeavoring on making sure we're controlling that.

"There's one called the Sahara or African mustard, and it seems to be spreading in a lot of areas where there are mountain bike trails or places people run their remote-control cars," he continued. "We'd like to have people watch for it, identify it and tell us where it's at. ... Just knowing where they are and not riding through them when they have seeds already transparent, will help the spread."

Another noxious weed that has made its way to the state is called the giant reed. This has been in Utah for decades and has often been used to line properties. They are considered Class 4, meaning they're not native to Utah, pose a threat and are often sold in commercial nurseries.

"To some people, (the giant reed) might appear to be bamboo, but it is actually on the noxious weed list," he said. "People plant it around their building to give them privacy, and it's not something that you want. It can create fire hazards and can spread very easily. It's now spreading down through a lot of waterways in Washington County."

Winder said that if noxious weeds on the list are found on properties, owners will receive notices requiring the weeds to be removed to control their spread.

"We also give property owners a list of different private agencies that know what the weeds are and can go in and make sufficient control," he said.

Washington County has also obtained an invasive species mitigation grant for the removal of the giant reed, which Wider says will help assist property owners remove the weeds from their yards. He also said that volunteers have been critical in helping stop the spread of these weeds.

"We performed a project in an area with African (Sahara) mustard," he said. "With the help of a group of dedicated hunters giving voluntary time, we were able to apply a pre-emergent to help keep the seed from germinating this fall as we get rainfall."

The complete list of noxious weeds in the state can be found on the Department of Agriculture and Food website.

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