OGDEN, Utah -- Noxious weeds are sprouting up all over Ogden, and because they’re growing fast the U.S. Forest Service and others are taking steps to uproot the plants.
While these weeds are a regular visitor in Ogden, because of the warm weather they have been appearing earlier than usual.
They seem almost serene sitting in a field in Ogden, but as we all know, looks will only get you so far--and here, they’ve outgrown their welcome.
Anthony Von Niederhausern, a range management specialist for the U.S. Forest Service, spoke about the weeds.
“They can change the community plant composition,” he said.
Every year, the Ogden Ranger District hosts an annual weed pull to rid Weber County of unwelcome species before they spread too far, species like Dyer’s Woad.
“It can be weed seeds just naturally spread through wind, water, attached to animals or people,” Von Niederhausern said.
Unseasonably warm temperatures brought them out earlier than usual, which is why volunteers and members with the U.S. Forest Service and Ogden Trails Network were out and about Friday.
The public can also help, as long they’re careful to not be fooled by their looks.
“Just walking along, notice a weed, pull it rather than just look at it and move on by,” Von Niederhausern said.
If you’d like to help with the annual weed pull, crews will be back out Saturday morning at Eden Park in Ogden starting at 9.
