Weed inspections in the county are well underway for 2018, according to the legislative, community and agricultural services report presented to the policies and priorities committee last week.
“Weed inspections are in full swing and we have completed approximately 150 rural inspections and 100 urban inspections,” department director Chris Atchison said in the report. “Once again this year we have been well received in the towns.”
Inspectors are concentrating on a number of different weed types in various areas of the county, he said.
“We are focusing on the tall buttercup in the Bearberry area and have good results with landowners calling to book sprayers or looking for contact sprayer information,” he said.
“We have two locations in the county with flowering rush and one of those also has phragmites. One of the locations has a contract sprayer lined up to spray as soon as the plants are larger to allow better uptake of the herbicide.”
A second location is working on a plan with the Alberta Invasive Species specialist to eradicate the weeds, he said.
Meanwhile, brush spraying is completed for the season with 85 miles of roads covered, he said.
“Roadside ditch spraying has started and will focus on the northwest portion of the county, Highway 582 and Highway 2 west,” he said.
“Highway spot spraying is underway with highways 760, 22 (north of Sundre), and 584 being focused on. Spill response reporting procedures and spill cleanup processes were reviewed by the spray crews.”
The county utilizes low-dose selective residual herbicides for post-emergent control of annual and perennial broadleaf weeds, invasive plants and shrubs in the roadside spray program, he said.
“Herbicides are selected to control broadleaf species without having adverse effects on grass and grass-like species,” he said.
“Although no adverse effects are expected on these grass-like species, short-term injury can be seen to desirable plants in some situations.”
The department report was accepted by the committee as information.
