What is a noxious weed?
Noxious weeds are plant species that have been designated “noxious” by law. The word “noxious” simply means deleterious, and all listed weeds are deleterious by definition. There are hundreds of weed species in Idaho; however, only 35 are designated noxious by Idaho law as of 1977. Currently, the Idaho Department of Agriculture uses the following criteria for designation of a noxious weed: • It must be present in but not native to Idaho; • It must be potentially more harmful than beneficial to Idaho; • Eradication must be economically physically feasible; • The potential adverse impact of the weed must exceed the cost of control.
The term noxious according to the Macquarie dictionary (1991), is; • harmful or injurious to health or physical well being. • (of an animal, insect, plant, etc.) declared harmful by statute law for compulsory eradication. Although there are many plants that can be classed as weeds, only a few plants which have a detrimental effect or cause serious economic loss to agriculture or the environment (providing there is reasonable and enforceable means of control) are considered as candidates for declaration as noxious weeds. NSW Parliament has passed laws empowering the State or Local Government to declare certain plants noxious. Declared plants must be removed (or actively controlled) by the land holder (penalties apply). Declaring plants noxious i.e.; legally making the outlaws is frequently unsuccessful. Some plants have been declared for over 100 years eg; Blackberry and Thistles. Like any other law, declaring something illegal doesn t necessarily stop it happening. 2. What weeds are de
The important distinction between noxious weeds and the rest of the terms used above is that ‘noxious’ is a legal term applied to a plant species designated as such by State and Federal law. Each State develops individual criteria for determining which plants will be considered as noxious and then generates a list unique to that State. States have developed laws that require the control or elimination of noxious weeds by landowners. An invasive plant may or may not be designated as noxious by a given State. For information on the Federal Noxious Weed Law go to http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/weeds/. For information on which species are considered noxious by State you can click the following link http://invader.dbs.umt.edu to the Invaders Database. This database, developed by Peter Rice at the University of Montana, is a distribution database for invasive plant species in all Northwestern states. It provides a list of all known noxious weeds in the northwest states and links to web sites
The important distinction between noxious weeds and the rest of the terms used above is that ‘noxious’ is a legal term applied to a plant species designated as such by State and Federal law. Each State develops individual criteria for determining which plants will be considered as noxious and then generates a list unique to that State. States have developed laws that require the control or elimination of noxious weeds by landowners. An invasive plant may or may not be designated as noxious by a given State. For information on the Federal Noxious Weed Law go to http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/weeds/. For information on which species are considered noxious by State you can click the following link http://invader.dbs.umt.edu to the Invaders Database. This database, developed by Peter Rice at the University of Montana, is a distribution database for invasive plant species in all Northwestern states. It provides a list of all known noxious weeds in the northwest states and links to web sites
A weed is designated noxious when it is considered by a governmental agency to be injurious to public health, agriculture, recreation, wildlife, or property. In Idaho, noxious weed regulations are covered by Title 22, Chapter 24, Idaho Code, Noxious Weeds Law. Some general characteristics of noxious weeds are their ability to spread rapidly, reproduce in high numbers, and crowd out native plants. Noxious weeds also tend to be very difficult to control. Noxious weeds can be annuals (completing their life cycle in one growing season) or perennials (having a life cycle spanning more than one growing season). Most noxious weeds were originally from other countries. Many arrived in shipments of desirable seeds, in the ballast of sailing ships, or were introduced intentionally as garden plants. Noxious weeds thrive in disturbed areas like roadsides, building sites, maintenance areas, irrigation ditches, dirt parking areas, trails, and campgrounds. Once noxious weeds gain a foothold, they can
