Conservation News
Beaverhead forest plans aerial assault on weeds
By the Associated Press
BOZEMAN - The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest plans to battle 9,000 acres of noxious weeds from the air over the next decade.
The idea is not without some risks, according to plans approved last week by acting supervisor Gary Morrison, but the risks of doing nothing are greater.
"Weeds will not go away by themselves," said a Forest Service environmental impact statement outlining the program.
Left alone, noxious weeds like knapweed, leafy spurge and a host of others will choke out native vegetation. Most of the weeds are inedible to both wildlife and livestock. They eliminate habitat, increase erosion and change the way streams and ecosystems function.
"It's a question of losing wildlife habitat to weeds or losing a few individual (animals) in the habitat," said Beaverhead-Deerlodge spokesman Jack de Golia. "It's kind of the ugly dilemma we're faced with."
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