Purple Loosestrife Decision

A state plan to spray herbicides on a noxious weed along the Eel River was shot down April 7 in Humboldt County Superior Court.

Judge J. Michael Brown halted the spraying--planned at more than 200 sites along 25 miles of the Eel River for as long as 10 years--to kill purple loosestrife on state park land until a full environmental impact report is prepared under the guidelines of the California Environmental Quality Act.

The state and county sprayed the herbicide imazapyr last summer shortly after issuing a Notice of Exemption that claimed no significant impacts would result from the eradication project. But Bernd Blossey of Cornell University, a national expert on the plant, said the project will fail because the infestation, known to be spreading in the area for more than six years, is already too large. What's more, Blossey added, the spread of purple loosestrife has been shown to increase when herbicides are used to check the plant's progress.

Imazapyr--trade name Habitat--is toxic in soil for extended periods, affecting the ability of native plants to survive and compete with prolific purple loosestrife.


This article can be found online at www.treesfoundation.org/publications/article-320

Forest & River News is produced by Trees Foundation.