In 1984, the BLM in Oregon was prohibited from herbicide use by the U.S. District Court of the District of Oregon. In 1987, the BLM released a Final Supplement to the Northwest Area Noxious Weed Control Program Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) and submitted it to the U.S. District Court of the District of Oregon. In the FSEIS, the BLM proposed resuming the use of the herbicide active ingredients dicamba, glyphosate, picloram and 2,4-D and provided Worst Case Analyses for these herbicides. The U.S. District Court found that the FSEIS fulfilled National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements and partially dissolved the injunction, permitting Oregon BLM to use the four herbicide active ingredients analyzed in the FSEIS. These herbicides can only be used on weeds officially designated on county, state and federal noxious weed lists.

On September 29, 2007, the BLM Washington Office signed the Vegetation Treatment Using Herbicides on Bureau of Land Management Lands in 17 Western States Record of Decision (ROD). This national decision provides current analysis for the use of 18 herbicides to treat vegetation as part of an integrated pest management program. In addition, the decision establishes a protocol for assessing human health and ecological risks of additional herbicides that may become available in the future. The national document can be found online at http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/veg_eis.html

In order to implement the National PEIS & ROD, address the addition of up to 14 nationally approved herbicides to the 4 currently approved for use in Oregon, and address the issues specific to the injunction, a single, programmatic state-wide EIS is being written. This EIS will more specifically address the effects of the herbicide types and quantities expected to be used in Oregon. The Oregon Vegetation Treatments EIS will identify which herbicides will be available for use in Oregon and how those herbicides will used as part of an integrated vegetation management program on BLM lands in Oregon.

The Oregon Vegetation Treatments EIS tiers to the National PEIS & ROD. The Vegetation Treatments EIS will be programmatic and will provide the necessary context and analysis of environmental effects that will then allow each of the nine BLM Districts in Oregon to prepare NEPA analyses on specific projects and treatments. It will not amend BLM's District Resource Management Plans.

The BLM's overall objective is to broaden the array of tools available to control noxious weeds, invasive plants, and other weeds by adding more effective, target-specific herbicides. The goal is to most effectively move the public lands toward desired vegetation conditions as determined through collaboratively developed Resource Management Plans and Activity Plans.

The Vegetation Treatments EIS will:

• Analyze use of 18 nationally approved herbicides to control noxious weeds; to treat invasive plants and other weeds in administrative sites, recreation sites, and rights-of-ways; to treat forest pests and diseases; and, to meet landscape health objectives in Oregon.
• Incorporate the Standard Operating Procedures and Mitigation Measures for herbicide application outlined in the national Vegetation Treatments Using Herbicides on Bureau of Land Management Lands in 17 Western States PEIS and ROD.
• Adopt the risk assessments from the national PEIS for the 18 nationally-approved herbicides.

It is important to note, the EIS will NOT evaluate the use of herbicides for commercial timber enhancement or livestock forage production.

There is a need on BLM lands in Oregon for access to a broader array of herbicides that are generally less toxic, more target-specific and more effective at controlling noxious weeds, invasive plants, and other weeds than the existing four approved herbicides.

In an effort to control and limit the spread of noxious weeds, invasive plants, and other weeds, Oregon BLM uses a variety of other methods including manual (e.g. hand-pulling), mechanical (e.g. mowing), biological (e.g. arthropods or goats), and prescribed fire, as well as an emphasis on education, prevention, early detection, and eradication of new invaders.

Used in combination with other management practices, herbicide treatments can slow the spread of noxious weeds and invasive plants, which in turn helps restore ecosystem health and watershed functions.

Noxious Weeds are Federal, State, or County-listed exotic problem species requiring (because of their listing) various management actions and restrictions.

Invasive Plants includes noxious weeds but also exotic and native plants that have the potential to become unnaturally dominant on the site without intervention.

Other weeds includes noxious weeds and invasive plants, as well as undesirable plants that interfere with land management objectives.

There are no ties to the Western Oregon Plan Revision. The Oregon Vegetation Treatments EIS will not evaluate the use of herbicides for commercial timber enhancement or livestock forage production.

No. The EIS will be programmatic, addressing the environmental effects of proposed herbicide use on BLM-administrated lands state-wide. It will not amend existing district planning documents (Resource Management Plans). Additional, project level NEPA analyses will still be required to address site-specific treatment proposals.

The national Vegetation Treatments Using Herbicides on Bureau of Land Management Lands in 17 Western States PEIS estimates 6.4 million acres of weed infestations on BLM lands in Oregon and Washington, increasing 10 to 15 percent per year (pp. 327-328).

In Oregon, BLM manages over 15 million acres and currently treats approximately 22,000 acres of designated noxious weeds each year. Of those 22,000 acres, approximately 12,000 acres are treated with herbicides and the remaining 10,000 acres are treated mechanically, manually, with biocontrols, and with other non-herbicide methods.

Herbicide use on BLM lands in Oregon is currently limited to treating listed noxious weeds. The EIS will propose to add herbicides to the list of management tools available for the treatment of forest pests and diseases such as Sudden Oak Death. While there is no herbicide available that targets Sudden Oak Death, treatments usually consist of controlling the pathogen by killing the host species in affected areas to prevent the spread to other areas.

Although Medusahead is listed as a noxious weed, Oregon BLM does not currently have the ability to use the most effective available herbicide. The EIS will analyze the effects of updating the list of available herbicides for use in Oregon, including the most target-specific herbicide for Medusahead.

The 18 herbicides being analyzed for use in Oregon are the same as those approved in the national Vegetation Treatment Using Herbicides on Bureau of Land Management Lands in 17 Western States PEIS. The 18 herbicides approved for use in the national PEIS are listed here.

On September 29, 2007, the BLM Washington Office signed the Vegetation Treatment Using Herbicides on Bureau of Land Management Lands in 17 Western States Record of Decision (ROD). This national decision provides analysis for the use of 18 herbicides to treat vegetation as part of an integrated pest management program for non-commodity uses. In addition, the decision establishes a protocol for assessing human health and ecological risks of additional herbicides that may become available in the future. The national document can be found online at:

• http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/veg_eis.html

The Oregon Vegetation Treatments Draft EIS tiers to the Programmatic EIS & ROD. The Oregon Vegetation Treatments Draft EIS identifies which herbicides will be available for use in Oregon and how those herbicides will used as part of an integrated vegetation management program on BLM lands in Oregon. The EIS, once finalized, will provide the necessary context and analysis of environmental effects that will then allow each of the nine BLM Districts in Oregon to prepare NEPA analyses on specific projects and treatments.

Other BLM states are not preparing statewide, programmatic EISs because those states were already using 20 herbicides to accomplish a wide range of management objectives. Because the BLM in Oregon proposes to increase the number of herbicides available from 4 to 16, and to use those herbicides to meet a wider range of management objectives than just the control of listed noxious weeds, Oregon BLM has chosen to consider the environmental effects of such a change in an Environmental Impact Statement.