It is the policy of Department of Property and Environment to implement control measures on any of the weeds listed by Archuleta County as noxious. Our department controls noxious weeds aggressively on Association properties, in open spaces, in the road right-of-ways and on individual properties when requested by the owner. Noxious weeds are defined as foreign, introduced plants that are deemed to be very aggressive, serious threats to native plant communities. The local ones we have problems with, and which we control, are musk thistle, Canada thistle, leafy spurge, Russian knapweed, diffuse knapweed, dalmation toadflax, yellow toadflax and white top.
The Association will assist property owners with noxious weed control on your property if requested. We can offer advice as to the best course of action for controlling these weeds and will also spray a noxious weed infestation on a property if it is determined that this is the best option. Further, if available, biological control measures can be used in some situations. Biological control measures include, for example, Calophasia Lanula, a worm that feeds on the seed heads of yellow toadflax, and Rhinocillus, a weevil that feeds on the seed heads of musk thistle. There is no charge to the property owner for this service; it is a service we provide to the property owners funded through our annual department budget. Call the PLPOA office, 970-731-5362, extension 25, for more information. We also have a number of handouts and informational color brochures concerning noxious weed identification and control.
Noxious weeds can be controlled by any number of different methods. Some noxious weeds like musk thistle can be controlled by mowing them or digging them up with a shovel before they go to seed, they are an annual plant, which means that if you can get rid of it before it goes to seed you have effectively controlled it. Other noxious weeds like Canada thistle, leafy spurge and yellow toadflax are much more difficult to control. An herbicide application is often necessary to achieve the degree of control most people desire. A selective herbicide is usually the best option. Selective herbicides are broad-leaf plant killers but will not damage or harm grasses. The goal in most situations is to eliminate the weeds but encourage grasses. If you are applying herbicides make sure to read the label carefully and follow all label instructions.
Noxious Weed Control | Insect Tree Pests | Lake Algae | Top
The Department of Property and Environment assists homeowners in monitoring the subdivisions for insect related problem, primarily in trees. The main problem insects are the Pine Bark Beetle, the Pine Bud Worm, the Ipps Beetle and the Pine tip Butterfly. If a tree is infested with Pine Bark Beetle, the tree must be removed to prevent its' spread to surrounding trees. It is highly recommended that when a tree is infested with the pine bark beetle, that the property owner remove the tree immediately to keep it from spreading to surrounding trees. The Association recommends that the tree be removed by a qualified tree service. Make sure that the tree service is insured. If it is not convenient to remove the tree from the property or if the homeowner wants to use the tree for firewood, a beetle infested tree can be de-limbed and the trunk of the tree wrapped with 6-mill clear plastic over the course of the summer to effectively bake and kill the beetles. Once a tree is infested by pine bark beetle there is no treatment that can save that tree. The beetles are under the bark and effectively protected from any type of insecticide application. A healthy tree, however, can be preventatively sprayed with insecticide to prevent attack by the pine bark beetles. Again, make sure the tree service you hire to spray a tree is licensed by the Colorado Department of Agriculture and is insured.
If a tree is badly infested with Pine Bud Worm or Pine Tip Butterfly, DPE will advise the landowner on a course of action, which may entail hiring a reputable tree service to spray the tree or fertilize the root system.
For more information on trees, tree care and insects and diseases of trees please visit the Colorado State Forest Service web site accessed through our links section in this web site. This is a great web site loaded with information about trees. You may also come by the office for a number of different color handouts and brochures about problem insects and diseases of trees.
Noxious Weed Control | Insect Tree Pests | Lake Algae | Top
It is the policy of DPE to implement weed and algae control
measures in the four lakes of Pagosa Lakes. In the lower
three lakes, which include Lake Pagosa, Village Lake and
Lake Forest I use a combination of chemical and biological
control measures. The biological control of weeds is achieved
through the use of the White Amur Grass Carp stocked at
the rate of 36 fish per surface acre. Chemical control of
algae is achieved through the use of K-Tea, a chelated
copper solution. Hatcher Lake, the northern most lake, is
the area raw water storage reservoir for drinking water,
and as such is restricted for chemical weed control. Weed
control is achieved in Hatcher Lake through the White Amur
only. Algae control in Hatcher Lake is performed by PAWSD,
and this year they will be using K-Tea, which is much more
environmentally and fishery friendly than the copper sulfate
which has been used in the past. Further, it is the policy
of DPE to monitor water quality in all four lakes. This
includes periodic water chemistry analysis and, during the
hot summer months, weekly or bi-monthly algae counts and
identification.
Noxious Weed Control | Insect Tree Pests | Lake Algae | Top
If you need Adobe Reader, click here to down load it free.
Lake
Algae: