Herbicide Policy

The East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District is working to protect streams and creeks from noxious, invasive weeds. Noxious weeds spread at alarming rates, consuming more and more land each year. They invade river and creek banks, permanently displacing native vegetation, destroying critical fish and wildlife habitat, reducing recreational opportunities, and causing headaches for landowners.

Some weeds can be controlled manually, by hand or mechanically. Others, due to the size of the infestation or the life cycle of the weed, require more aggressive methods. Our goal is to use the most effective and environmentally friendly methods for our weed control projects. We strive to identify new weeds before the area infested becomes too large.

In some cases, we must resort to using herbicides. This decision is not made lightly, and we explore the latest research before making this decision. In general, we must use herbicides if the target weed cannot be controlled manually. We also may choose to use herbicides if the size of the infestation is too large, inaccessible, or steep to make manual methods possible and/or affordable.

We always use the least toxic herbicide available, the safest application methods, and, if applications are made near water, an herbicide that is labeled for use near water. Applications are made by a licensed applicator with strict accordance to the label. Our methods minimize run off onto the ground and drift to adjacent vegetation. In addition, applications are not made if it is windy.

For more information about our weed control projects, please contact:
Julie DiLeone, Conservation Technical Assistance Coordinator
East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
503-935-5360, julie at emswcd dot org