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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWeed Management PlanWeed Monooemerll Plon Spring Volley Ronch PUD Gorfield County, Colorodo Jonuory 18,2022 *¡"*F;¡r'i:.;Ë f¡:s: üi:¡'il¡:; t/;;!i+:rl i-irtic.iilif¿:, j I i- "li:r{-i{) !iq:i¡i!r i-'ì¡:í.,hut-itl i-.*l:rl- '?'l .j i i I ir itx¡i ; r.¡ li 1, ¡-'r r i i t¡"::;. l.- t.,- Ì I r¿t ii r.; $ 1 a,ii'1 rr l'+l g.l "l r*lÏ X*'ir'; 5{:,iV j'ill Wr::;l íjri' 1i'{", lli-jitr ,ìijiì i.ì i * ri'¡'v,,; l d li ¡.r ;' I ii g:t, {.-fi !l'i É{j'! L]-' / i.') -" j, ilj 4 - i i ) "i -l SSGM I l8 W Sixth St, Suite 200 Glenwood Springs. CO 81ó01 970.384.9040 www.sgm'inc.com ? i_t.L'1 - i:'i'i "{-iû : Table of Contents L.0 Summary 2.O Description of Survey Area ......... 3.0 Results of Surveys. 4.O Noxious Weed Management Recomendations List of Tables Table 1- Noxious Weeds Present on Property ' List of Figures Figure 1- Project Area Overview ............ Figure 2 - Noxious Weed Occurrences.... Appendix Appendix A - Colorado Listed Noxious Weeds.. Appendix B - Garfield County Listed Noxious Weeds .. Appendix C - Photo Documentation .........'.' T 2 4 6 ...........3 ..........5 7 8 9 Qa¡ínn llnlløv llllooÅ aaaaman+ Dlnn 1.0 SUMMARY This Weed Management Plan was prepared at the request of Spring Valley Ranch PUD to fulfill the submittal requirements of the Land Use and Development Code {LUDC). Spring Valley Ranch is proposing to develop the existing pastures and associated areas ¡nto potential residential use. The proposed project is located in Garfield County, Colorado in Sections 2!,22,27,28,33 and 34, Township 6 South, Range 88 West (6th Principal Meridian) (Figure 1). SGM was reta¡ned by Spring Valley Ranch PUD to conduct a noxious weed survey to fulfill requirements of Garfield County's LUDC and Vegetation Management department. A field survey documenting and mapping noxious weeds was conducted on November 4th, 2A22, by Rachel Kattn¡g, SGM Environmental Consultant ¡il. Both Garfield County's noxious weed list and the State of Colorado's noxious weed list were utilized for survey efforts (Appendix A and B). To summarize, surveys found the following State and Garfield County listed noxious weeds: Table 1- Noxious Weeds Present on Property Colorado Listed Species Garfield €ounty listed SpeciesScientific Name€ommon Name Yes (List C)An í s a nth o (B rom u sl tecto r u mCheatgrass Yes (List C)Common mullein Verbascum thapsus Yes (List B)YesCarduus ocanthoidesPlumeless thistle YesYes (List B)Canada thistle Cirsium oruense Yes (List B)YesCynog lossu m officio na leHoundstongue Yes (List C)Convolvulus orvensisField bindweed Yes (List C)Erodium cicutriumRedstem filaree Yes (List B)YesOnopordum øcanthiumScotch thistle 1 Sprinq Vøllev Ranch Weed t Plan 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF SURVEY AREA The property generally has four separate vegetat¡on types. A large port¡on of the lower property is dominated by grazed pasture areas with gently sloping topography, located on alluvial/colluvial mater¡al which has been leveled by deposition. Pasture areas are dominated by agricultural cultivars including smooth brome (Bromus inermisl, orchardgrass (Dactylis glomeratal, western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithiil, as well as some native fescues lFestuco spp.). The steep slopes above the pastures are dominated by Gambel oak (euercus gambetiil with mixed shrub component of sparse pinyon-juniper woodland s {Pinus edulis and Sobina osteospermo), mountaín mahogany (Cercocarpus montonus and C. ledifoliusl and Utah serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensrs); these areas have minimal understory vegetat¡on. The transitional areas between the mixed mountain shrublands and pastures contain remnant stands of sagebrush shrublands (Artemisio tidentoto ssp. bonvillensis). The port¡on of the property immediately adjacent to irrigation d¡tches support sparse wetland vegetation. Typical conditions in pasture areas.Typical conditions in Gambel oak woodlands on steep slopes. Typical conditions in transitional areas of sagebrush shrublands. Typical conditions along irrigation ditches 2 -r-Figure 1- Project Area Overview85 8!rWqt53 gEW+'\f- Area of lnvestigation\r Us orState HighwayCounty Highway\-..* Local Roadífi Hllunicipal Boundaryfl townsfriplRange/Sect¡on6SGMd.iqdSpniÞ COSl&ìA3lrt^^) ^ t^^^^^*^^+ lrl^^Spring Valley Ràrch PUD Pl-¿se 2lltflt'ilïY MIP87WD,a " ;}:73 88W75 SS|WArea af investiqet¡otlPrcieat lx.etionf ì¡r l/18',ìO::I ,,: ,ii(,r rr iì:: lñ8 : ì;Cl'r.:r+,_ lìy iaÀ1f¡-aìrF! Rl<liOisclü¡m4'- ¡.nd rl 1 il'0124æMilesSCALE:1¡¡ = 2ñ¡lés Qnrînn llnllov lllloø¡l nnamøn* DInn 3.0 RESULTS OF SURVEYS The most common nox¡ous weeds found within the project area ¡nclude: cheatgrass, plumeless thistle, houndstongue, and common mullein. The edges of irrigation ditches were noted as an area with a high concentration of weeds, particularly Canada thistle. The pasture areas have widespread, low to high densities of Scotch and plumeless thistle, low densities of cheatgrass, and some ¡solated areas of field bindweed. Areas dominated by Gambel oak shrub communities, especially along two track roads and pasture boundaries, have medium densities of houndstongue. Cheatgrass ¡s present in low to medium densities throughout the project area, in pastures, along the two track roads, and within native shrublands. Common mullein occurs in pasture areas or and along two track roads. Figure 2 shows the areas of noxious weed ínfestations and relative densities. Redstem filaree was present in two areas along the two track roads. Nuisance species, notably Russian thistle (Kali tragus) was documented along the two-track road in two locations. (Appendix C is a photo log documenting the noxious weed presence and densities throughout the project area. 4 Spr¡no Vollev Ronch Weed Mandaement PlonFigure 2 - Noxious weed Occurrencesi.irirtiiS hvesrigationAreaNoxious Weed Perc€nl Coveri.i'*' ''l ro%f;l.dfi rsøffi zoø/ tu.lll oor.I'l0)(l0tJS tt'lEtDSSpÌirq V¡llêt'R¡f.jì PtD Ph.ìsr,2gSGMo 4325 8E rr505 4.0 NOXIOUS WEED MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS To meet the requirements of the Colorado Noxious Weed Act and Garfield County guidance, the developer shall conduct prescribed management techniques for noxious weeds included on one of three State weed lists: List A - designated for statewide eradication; List B - managed to prevent further spread and, for selected species, designated for eradication in large areas; and List C - of more localized concern, but for which the State will provide education, research, and biological control assistance to jurisdictions that choose to manage the species. The current State list is available in Appendix A. lf populations of List A species are present in the project area, every population shall be eradicated prior to seed development. To stop the spread of List B species, populations of every species designated for eradication in a particular county shall be eliminated prior to seed development. Additionally, to meet reclamation objectives, the developer should eliminate or minimize those noxious and invasive weeds designated as "undesirable species". Undesirable species include redstem filaree, all List C species (e.g., cheatgrass and field bindweed), and invasive species that commonly colonize disturbed or reclaimed land and impede or prevent establ¡shment of desirable species. Control of invasive species is a difficult task and requires on-going control measures. Care must be taken to avoid negatively impacting desirable plant communities and inviting infestation by other pioneer invaders. Weed management is best achieved by employing aggressive controlearly on, and persistent control efforts over several growing seasons, including direct treatments, prevention through best management practices, monitoring of treatment efficacy, and subsequent detection efforts. Weed management is often limited to controlling existing infestations and prevention of further infestations, rather than eradication, but through effective weed management practices and eradication can be possible in small to medium sized weed populations. The following methods are recommended to manage noxious weeds, per Colorado State University's Extension program. The Garfield County Vegetation Management Program and the Garfield County Noxious Weed Management Plan should be reviewed for additionalguidance. Preventive: Methods include ma¡ntaining healthy pastures, using weed-free crop seed, weed-free manure and hay, and clean harvesting and tillage equipment, as well as the elimination of weed infestations in areas bordering cropland, and in irrigation ditches and canals. Chemical: Herbicide treatments can be highly effective and willvary based on time of year of treatment and species treatment. Two yearly treatments would be recommended for the duration of the project, one in spring and one in fall. Cultural: Methods include: Establishing and managing an adequate population of desirable vegetation to compete with the weeds; utilizing livestock (cattle, goats, sheep) when possible; mulching; burning; and even plastic weed barriers. Mechanical: Methods include: Hand-pull, hoe, mow and tillage' Biological: Biological weed control involves the utilization of natural enemies for the control of specific weed species. This method can take many years to result in weed control and is often not L00% effective. However, this method can dramatically help reduce weed densities and when combined with other methods can be very beneficial. Methods include grazing, introduction of registered insects or diseases. Contact the Palisade lnsectary for more information. 6 C¡rinn llnlløtt lllløo¡l DInn APPEND¡X A. COLORADO LISTED NOXIOUS WEEDS 7 Colorado Noxious Weeds (including Watch List), effective June, 2O2O List A Species (25) Common Scientific African rue Bohemian knotweed Camelthorn Common crupina Cypress spurge Dyer's woad Elongated mustard Flowering rush Gíant knotweed Giant reed Giant salvinia Hairy willow-herb Hydrilla Japanese knotweed Meadow knapweed Mediterranean sage Medusahead Myrtle spurge Orange hawkweed Parrotfeather Purple loosestrife Rush skeletonweed Squarrose knapweed Tansy ragwort Yellow starthistle List B Species (38) (Pegønum harmola) (Follopio x bohemicum) (Alhogi maurorum) (Crupina vulgoris) ( E uph orb ia cypø rissia s) (lsøtis tinctorio) (Brassico elongata) (Butomus umbellotus) ( Fo I lo pio sa cho I i ne nsis ) (Arundo donax) (Salvinio molesta) (Epilobium hirsutum) ( Hyd ril la ve rtici I løtø ) (Fallopio joponico) (Centa ureo x moncktonii) (Solvia oethiopis) (To e n i oth e ru m ca p ut- med uso e ) (E u phorbiø myrsi n ites) ( H ie raci u m o u ro ntiacum) ( My rio phy I I um a q uaticum) (Lythrum salicaria) (Chondrillo junceo) (Centourea virgøta) (Senecio jocobaeo) (Ce nta urea solstiti ol i s ) ScientificCommon Absinth wormwood Black henbane Bouncingbet Bullthistle Canada thistle Chinese clematis Common tansy Common teasel Cutleaf teasel Dalmatian toadflax, broadjeaved Dalmatian toadf lax, narrow-leaved Dame's rocket Diffuse knapweed Eurasian watermilfoil Hoary cress Houndstongue (Arte m isia a bsi nth i u m) (Hyoscyomus niger) (Sa pa na rio offici n ø I i s) (Círsium vulgare) (Cirsium arvense) (Clemotis orientolis) (Tanøcetum vulgare) (Dipsacus fullonum) (Dipsocus laciniotus) (Linariø dolmatica) (Li nø ria genistifolia) (Hesperis matronølis) (Centaureo diffusa) ( Myri ophyll u m spi catu m ) (Cordaria droba) (Cynog Iossu m offici n a le ) Colorado Noxious Weeds (including Watch List), effective June, 2O2O List B Species Continued (38) Common Scientific Jointed goatgrass Leafy spurge Mayweed chamomile Moth mullein Musk thistle Oxeye daisy Perennial pepperweed Plumeless thistle Russian knapweed Russian-olive Salt cedar Salt cedar Scentless chamomile Scotch thistle Scotch thistle Spotted knapweed Spotted x diffuse knapweed hybrid Sulfur cinquefoil Wild caraway Yellow nutsedge Yellow toadflax Yellow x Dalmatian toadflax hybrid List C Species (76) Common (Aegilops cylindrica) (Euphorbia esula) (Anthemis cotulo) (Verbascum blattaria) (Carduus nutons) (Le ucø nthe mu m vulgo re ) (Lepidíum lotifolium) (Carduus acanthoides) (Rhaponticum repens) (Elo eø g n us a ng ustifol ia ) (Ta mø rix. ro mosissi ma ) (T. chinensis) (Tri ple urospe rmum i nod oru m ) (Onopordum ocanthium) (O. tøuricum) (Centaurea stoebe L. ssp. micranthos) (Ce nta ureo x psa m moge na ) (Patentilla rectø) (Corum carvi) (Cyperus esculentus) (Linaria vulgoris) (Linariø vulgaris x L. dolmotica) Scientific Bulbous bluegrass Chicory Common burdock Common mullein Common St. Johnswort Downy brome, cheatgrass Field bindweed Halogeton Johnsongrass Perennial sowthistle Poison hemlock Puncturevine Quackgrass Redstem filaree Velvetleaf Wild proso millet (Poa bulbosa) (Cichorium intybus) (Arctium minus) (Verbascum thapsus) ( Hy pericum pe rforatu m ) (Bromus tectorum) (Co nvo lvul us o rve nsis) ( Ha I ogeto n glo me ratus ) (Sorghum holepense) (Sonchus arvensis) (Conium moculatum) (Tribulus terrestris) (EIymus repens) (Erodium cicutorium) (Abutilo n theo phro sti ) (Panicum miliaceum) Colorado Noxious Weeds (including Watch List), effective June, 2O2O Watch LÍst Species (79) Common Scientific Baby's breath Caucasian bluestem Common bugloss Common reed Garden loosestrife Garlic mustard Himalayan blackberry Hoary alyssum Meadow hawkweed Onionweed Siberian elm Scotch broom Swainsonpea Syrian beancaper Tree of Heaven Ventenata grass White bryony Yellow bluestem Yellow flag iris (Gypsophila pa niculato ) (Both rioch loo blodhi i ) (Anchusa officinølis) (Ph rag mites a ustro I is ) (Lysimochio vulgaris) (Alliøria petiolota) (Rubus ormeniacus) (Berteroa incono L.) (H iera ci u m co es pitosu m ) ( As ph od el u s f i stul os u s ) (Ulmus pumila) (Cytisus scopørius) (S phoe rophyso sø ls u lø ) (Zygophyllum fobago) (Ailonthus oltissima) (Ventenoto dubio) (Bryonia olba) (Both riochloø ischae mu m ) (lris pseudocorus) APPENDIX B - GARFIELD COUNTY LISTED NOXIOUS WEEDS Gorfíeld County Lísted Species (40) Common Scientific Absinth wormwood Black henbane Bouncingbet Bullthistle Canada thistle Chicory Chinese clematis Common burdock Common tansy Common teasel Corn chamomile Curly dock Cutleaf teasel Cypress spurge Dalmatian toadflax Dame's rocket Diffuse knapweed Hoary cress Houndstongue Jointed goatgrass Leafy spurge Mayweed chamomile Meadow knapweed Mediteranean sage Musk thistle Myrtle spurge Oxeye daisy Perennial pepperweed Plumeless thistle Poison hemlock Purple Ioosestrife Russian knapweed Russian olive Salt cedar Scentless chamomile Scotch thistle Spotted knapweed Sulfur cinquefoil Yellow starthistle Yellow toadflax (Arte mesi o a bsi nth i u ml (Hyoscyamus niger) (So pona ria officinalisl lCirsium vulgore) (Cirsium arvensel (Cichorium intybusl (Clemøtis orientalisl (Arctium minusl (Tonacetum vulgarel (Dipsacus fullonuml (Anthemis orvensisl (Rumex crispusl (Dipsocus laciniotusl (E u ph orbia cypo rissi øsl (Linorio dalmaticol (Hesperis motronolisl (Centøurea diffuso\ (Cardaria drobal (Cy n og I oss u m offi ci n a I e) (Aegilops cylindricol (Euphorbio esulol (Anthemis cotuløl (Centourea pratensisl (salvio oethiopsisl (Carduus nutøns) (Euphorbia myrsi nites\ (Ch ryso nth e m um le uco nth e u m\ (Lepidium lotifoliuml (Corduus acanthoides\ {Conium maculatum\ (Lythrum salicarial (Acroptilon repensl (El aea g n u s an g ustifol i al (Tomarix porviflora, Tomarix ramosissimal (Tri p I e u ros p e rm u m pe rf oratu m) (Onopordum acanthiuml (Centourea moculosal (Potentillo rectol (Ce nto u re o solstital i sl (Linario vulgaris\ B Qnrìnn llnllov Pnnah lllløø ¡l Il /l n n n n ø mø nl DI n n APPENDIX C - PHOTO DOCUMENTATION 9 SSGM PHOTO LOG Project Name: Spring Valley Ranch Noxious Weeds Survey Site Location: Spring Valley Ranch Date: Nov 4,2021 Photo Point 1 (Pl) General vegetation overview i Photo Point 2 (P2l Common mullein, Cheatgrass, Houndstongue. SsGM PHOTO LOG Project Name: Spring Valley Ranch Noxious Weeds Survey Site Location: Spring Valley Ranch Date: Nov 4, 2021 Photo Point 3 (P3) Ditch & pasture area Photo Point 4 {P4} Pasture area with Canada thistle #SGM PHOTO LOG Project Name: Spring Valley Ranch Noxious Weeds Survey Site Location: Spring Valley Ranch Date: Nov 4, 2021 Photo Point 5 (P5) Canada thistle ..,"_1...' Photo Point 6 (P6) Redstem storksbill .? ; -t r¿ z' i gsGM PHOTO LOG Project Name: Spring Valley Ranch Noxious Weeds Survey Location: Spring Valley Ranch Date: Nov 4,2021 Photo Point 7 (P7l Cheatgrass & other weeds along two track roads Photo Point I (P8) Houndstongue, highest densiÇ observed.