The annual war on noxious weeds and prohibited species in Red Deer County is now well underway, say officials.
“The cost of weed control and eradication in Innisfail and the county of Red Deer can be measured in the millions of dollars,” said Art Preachuk, agriculture services manager of Red Deer County.
“According to a 2006 study, the cost associated with noxious and prohibited weeds (nationally) was in excess of $7.5 billion. If we were to update that number it might be close to $10 billion in 2014. Simply put, weeds cost money.”
He pointed out that many of the attractive plants we have in our gardens and acreages are actually noxious and literally choke the life out of our green spaces.
“There are weeds that actually consume water and will kill lakes and ponds that have been seen in the Innisfail area,” he said. “For instance, in Buffalo Creek around Innisfail, flowering rush is found but we are deciding how to deal with the invasive plant.”
The flowering rush in the creek area will be dealt with by Alberta Transport once it expands the intersection in the area, he said.
He also spoke on the importance of early detection and rapid response once an unknown plant is discovered.
“If a weed infestation is discovered in the early stages, the cost associated with its removal is far less than if we discover it and remove it after it has become rampant,” he said.
“For instance, Himalayan balsam has been found in Innisfail and around Pigeon Lake. Himalayan balsam chokes vegetation around the lake and takes nutrients from the soil, which could go to trees and benevolent species.”
Agriculture Services looks for leafy spurge, field scabious, white cockle, Canada thistle, tall buttercup, ox-eye daisy, yellow toadflax, clubroot, and Himalayan balsam in the county.
“We will be starting our inspection of fields for clubroot very soon,” said Cody MacIntosh, assistant agriculture services manager.
“We usually inspect upwards of 600 fields per year. Over the last three years, we have found seven fields that are infected. We do expect to find more cases as the years go by.”
Good crop rotation and equipment sanitation are vital tools to prevent contamination in clean fields, he said.
“The county has had leafy spurge and white cockle for decades and while good cultivation and weed control helps, once it gets into hayfields it is hard to eradicate,” he said.
A big part of their job is education and working with people to help them fight weeds but that is only a fraction of their other functions, he said.
Preachuk said: “The county also has equipment and expertise available to help residents fight weeds, whether you are a farmer or a homeowner. We operate conservation programs, including the region's Alternate Land Use Services program, and will help anyone who asks us.”
For more information on noxious weeds property owners can go to www.invasiveplants.ca and www.rdcounty.ca.
