July 11, 2005
A Noxious Metaphor for Weeds
This essay by Wade Albrecht was published in nearly identical form in The Arizona Daily Sun of 9 July 2005.
Several months ago, in another article, I made the comparison of expanding noxious weed populations to a "biological wildfire". This was not meant to be taken literally. It was supposed to be a metaphor. Lesson learned…be careful what you say. Our wet winter created a flush of germination and growth of noxious and invasive weeds and we are paying the price as evidenced by recent low-elevation wildfires, carried primarily by exotic weeds. Unfortunately, this part of the story is mostly absent from the media. It seems a little reparation education is called for to set the message straight.
The vegetative component of our forests, deserts and grasslands has been compromised. The natural areas of Arizona no longer possess the fresh-faced innocence of a pre-adolescent child. Fact is, our landscapes are more combustible than a sleep-deprived teenager. Above 5000 feet we have Cheatgrass, eager to ignite with the first moron’s flick of cigarette.
Below that in elevation, we have Red Brome, sister species to cheatgrass, and equally hot tempered. We see yearly evidence of this species disposition along the burned out medians and lands adjacent to I-17 near Cordes Junction. Red Brome was the catalyst for the recent Cave Creek Complex Fires. Further south a new kid on the block, Buffelgrass, is swallowing up landscapes at an exponential rate. This plant has been turning sparsely vegetated desert terrain into a carpet of combustible fuel and has been implicated as the primary fuel in at least five major brush fires in the Tucson area in the last two months
Not all of our low-land fire vectors are grasses. Populations of Saharan Mustard have exploded state-wide, leaving thickets of desiccated biomass ripe for burning. The 55,000 acre Goldwater Fire near Ajo is the result of this recent transplant. 
It seems plausible to assume that an area that has not burned in more than 10,000 years may have undergone some sort of change. And unlike our Ponderosa Pine forest, southwest ecosystems below 3500 feet did not co-evolve with fire. Inevitably, lower elevation native plant communities die out and the exotics thrive, expanding their range with each successive fire, creating a radically different landscape. Picture this, if you will: Ecosystems composed of highly flammable monocultures, wildlands and hiking trails laden with combustible grasses possessing prickly awns, constantly sticking to your footwear. Just this weekend, I tossed out a pair of socks after getting nowhere trying to remove cheatgrass seed-awns.
One only need look at our local highways, vacant lands, school properties and pristine areas with potential, to see the impact of invasive and noxious weeds. Diffuse Knapweed should no longer be under the radar for most local citizens.
It too, benefited from the wet year by advancing its ranks beyond the perimeter of disturbed lands and well into the competitive fray of wildland competition. Scotch Thistle, the ultimate invasive bad-boy, has been having its way with Picture Canyon and is surreptitiously spreading into many city and county locations.
These two weeds, while not an immediate concern to burn, are enveloping and altering landscapes in the same manner as wildfire. Some would say even more-so. Fire evolved habitat, scarred by non-catastrophic wildfire typically resets, as succession and the circle of life continue; but for landscapes infested with noxious weeds, the climax community can be altered indefinitely.
On the invasive species issue, it’s fair to say that we are well behind the eight-ball, but we have to give it our best shot. We are fighting back in Picture Canyon with county employed Coconino Rural Environmental Corps (CREC) crews and we are employing methods that seem unconventional and draw debate, but are in fact, tried and true. One such technique is the use of biological control agents. Biological control in the United States has a record of safely managing invasive weeds for more than 100 years. Members of the San Francisco Peaks Weed Management Area (SFPWMA)recently conducted a release of a host-specific weevil in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS). The target species, diffuse knapweed is beyond any potential for local eradication, but could conceivably be controlled by this bug within five years. We look at this as a safe alternative to chemical applications of herbicide and whole lot more practical than manual removal.
Not that pulling weeds doesn’t have its benefits: angst alleviation, freedom from oppressive species, wanton (yet specific) botanical genocide all number high on the list. When the monsoons arrive, take advantage of moist soil conditions and dig-in. Aside from previously stated perks, it’s an investment in the ecological integrity of our community. The spread of noxious and invasive species is the cost that all of us pay for doing business on the planet earth. And without your efforts that cost will most certainly increase.
Wade Albrecht is the Natural Resource Educator for U of A, Coconino County Cooperative Extension Service and is the Coordinator for the multi-agency San Francisco Peaks Weed Management Area.