Protecting Pisgah False brome, an invasive grass, threatens what people love about the area. BY CHRIS ORSINGER AND CHRIS JONES People love the natural, wild beauty of Mount Pisgah. They should. This 2,363-acre Lane County park is a natural area of regional significance. It contains some of the largest remnants of "globally endangered" plant communities such as oak savanna and wetland prairie. That translates to spectacular wildflower displays and a diversity of birds and other wildlife for hikers and equestrians to observe along the trails. Few people realize that invasive species threaten all of this. Invasive exotic species are the second biggest cause, after habitat destruction, of the decline of rare species. Scientists tell us that the invasive grass false brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum) is probably the greatest threat to what people love about Mount Pisgah. False brome converts areas rich in native wildflowers and grasses into a dense, single species mat of non-native grass. Mount Pisgah is on the cusp of a false brome explosion. An effective control program, combined with native revegetation, should be developed and implemented as soon as possible. What has been done to date? For three years, Friends of Buford Park & Mount Pisgah (FBP) has tested control methods, mobilizing volunteers to clip seed heads, pull the weed by hand and replant the weeded areas with native plants. Volunteers with GPS units have surveyed more than 600 acres of the park's 2,300 acres so far, mapping the weed's extent. Volunteer scientists have researched its life cycle, pathogens and control methods. Here's what we've learned: False brome is dispersed widely across those 600 acres. It currently occupies a total of 25 of those acres. Because the seed is short lived, a three-year control effort can exhaust the seed bank. For small, isolated populations, hand pulling followed by seeding and follow up weeding appears to succeed. Large infestations (spread over 1000 acres) in the Willamette Valley have been successfully controlled with the herbicide glyphosate. What can be done at Mount Pisgah? After several years of research, inventory, analysis, and consultation with weed control experts, FBP is proposing that Lane County use a combination of five control methods: hand pulling of isolated populations along trails; mowing before seed maturation along trails where possible, then smothering the weeds with black fabric; applying non-toxic, hot "Waipuna" foam along service roads where a truck carrying the equipment can travel; contracting with licensed applicators who carefully and sparingly apply herbicide on large, dense, populations in inaccessible areas away from trails (on a total of about 10 acres, less than half of one percent of the park); and, after any of the above treatments, replanting treated areas with a suitable mix of native seed, produced at FBP's native plant nursery. This integrated strategy prioritizes four non-herbicide methods. The objective is to restore self-sustaining native plant communities that will maintain the park's botanical and wildlife diversity for future generations. If the county approves an effective control program, FBP will seek grants so that the project does not compete for Lane County's scarce general fund dollars. How did we get here? FBP's mission is to protect and enhance native ecosystems and compatible recreation in the Mount Pisgah area. Over the last 15 years, we have controlled blackberry, Scot's broom, and other weeds on hundreds of acres in the park without toxic herbicides and planted 70 acres with 40 native species. Why are herbicides needed now? Given our long success without them, we at FBP were hesitant to accept herbicides. But weed control experts, fish and wildlife biologists, natural area managers, and other land managers have all found that non-herbicide methods alone are not enough to control false brome. Without an effective control program, today's widespread but small populations will continue to merge to become a massive mega-population, overwhelming our efforts. Hikers, dogs and horses will inadvertently spread the plant's seeds to other valuable natural areas. The rich botanical treasure house that is Mount Pisgah will be lost in a decade or two. Sensitive wildlife populations that depend on these rare, remnant plant communities will likely decline further. Native wildflower displays will become more rare. With false brome spreading so quickly, with so much imperiled, the board of FBP has concluded that it would be unwise to exclude the option of using herbicides to control false brome. The careful use of herbicides on inaccessible plants far from trails should be one of the "tools in the tool box." It is impractical and unrealistic to expect volunteers to crawl around on steep slopes in dense poison oak to pull the plant by hand. The limited use of herbicides on this particular weed can counter the biggest threat to what park visitors love about Mount Pisgah: its rare native ecosystems. If we care about Mount Pisgah, we must address the spreading threat of invasive species. False brome is one that we have a chance to control — if we act now. The longer we wait, the more money and effort it will take to address the problem, until finally nothing will prevent this weed from overwhelming the native vegetation. We urge citizens to speak in favor of an effective, integrated false brome control program at Mount Pisgah by submitting comments to: Todd Winter, Lane County Parks Manager, 90064 Coburg Road, Eugene 97408. Email: Todd.Winter@co.lane.or.us Chris Orsinger is executive director and Chris Jones is board president of the Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah, a Eugene-based non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing native ecosystems and compatible recreation in the Mount Pisgah area.
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