BLM Burns District Plans Medusahead Treatments

HINES, Ore. – This fall, the Bureau of Land Management, Burns District, will conduct aerial herbicide applications across approximately 5,000 acres to target the invasive annual grass medusahead on public lands.

Treatments will occur primarily along roads using fixed wing or helicopter in the following locations: Drewsey/Otis and Stinkingwater areas east of Burns and Palomino Butte area west of Burns in the Three Rivers Field Office. Maps of the treatment areas and additional information can be found at: OR/WA Weeds and Invasives Program.

Medusahead is a non-native invasive annual grass and a prolific seed producer that germinates in the fall and grows while native plants are dormant. Avoided by grazing animals, medusahead out-competes other grasses by depleting ground moisture well before perennial grasses have begun to grow. It also prevents regular species from germinating and favors non-native invasive grasses that thrive under these circumstances. Dense infestations of non-native invasive annual grasses often lead to more frequent large, fast-moving wildfires. Once land is invaded by this species, it becomes almost worthless, supporting neither native animals, birds nor livestock.

The BLM is committed to keeping public landscapes healthy and productive. The community can help prevent the spread of noxious weeds by learning to identify species in their area, treating them promptly, washing vehicles and equipment entering new areas, and reporting weed sitings on BLM-administered lands to the local BLM office.

For more information about weed treatments on public land, contact Sam Cisney at the BLM Burns District office at 541-573-4400.