Just go kill it.

Reporter
Sept. 4, 2008, 2:13 p.m.

Dear James,

Thanks for reporting knotweed, a severe problem in Oregon.

Unfortunately, knotweed is already widespread in the Portland area, so the patch you reported may not be targeted for control. There are just not enough resources to control all the knotweed! However, I will forward this report to the Oregon Department of Agriculture and your local Cooperative Weed Management Area. They will map the site you reported and evaluate the urgency for control.

Private land owners are responsible for controlling weeds on their property, but sometimes people don’t do anything because the task seems too daunting or they are unaware of the problem. However, thankfully there are many dedicated volunteers who join forces to uncover and protect their favorite areas from knotweed and other aggressive invaders. In some cases, the local Soil and Water Conservation District can help coordinate the effort and provide resources. If you are interested in joining a local volunteer effort to combat invasive species, or starting your own, there are some excellent websites listed above.

We hope you will keep on reporting! By looking for and reporting some of the less abundant, but equally as aggressive, invasive species, we can control them before they become tomorrow’s Scotch broom, English Ivy, or even knotweed. Check out this website for a list of plants and animals that are priority for early detection and control in Western Oregon: http://www.westerninvasivesnetwork.org/pages/plants.php

Thanks!

Tania Siemens
OSU Sea Grant/The Nature Conservancy
tania.siemens@oregonstate.edu

Tania Siemens
Sept. 4, 2008, 11:06 p.m.