Scotch Broom get it out while the soil is moist

What makes Scotch Broom a invasive noxious plant?

Scotch broom - Cytisus scoparius - is a prodiguous seed producer.

The seeds have hard coats enabling them to survive in the environment for up to 80 years.

The seeds are transported from place to place in mud stuck to vehicles, equipment, shoes and the feet of animals.

Seeds may be carried via runoff from roads into streams and gullies. Then seedlings may establish along streamsides and along gully walls.

Scotch broom forms dense brush fields over six feet tall. The brush fields distract from appreciation of the natural landscapes of California.

The brush fields diminish habitat for grazing animals, such as native Elk. Seeds and foliage are toxic to livestock, horses, and native hoofed wildlife

Areas of dense brush shade out and kill native grassland plants in invaded areas, and favor invasion by other woody, non-grassland plant species.

Scotch broom is a threat to the integrity of the California ecosystem.

Discourage people from planting Scotch broom or allowing it to grow undisturbed wherever they live and work. Since broom will have produced many, long-lived seeds, well before it reaches its ultimate size, people may be unaware of its potential as a weed in cultivation.

• Dense roadside stands of Scotch broom narrow escape routes from mountain communities throughout California
  

How do you get rid of Scotch Broom?

• Pull out the entire plant, including roots. When the soil is moist, small plants can be pulled easily by hand. Winter and spring are good seasons to do this in California.
• Larger plants must be removed with a tool such as a Weed Wrench (tm). Be sure to remove the entire plant. Broken stems re-sprout and are much harder to remove for the next person. Plants can be left where pulled.
• Well planned prescribed burns in fall can further reduce the broom in infested grasslands:
  • Dense infestations of broom and infestations in the shade remain too moist to carry fire and will require pulling and some time to dry prior to a successful burn.
  • A head fire is likely to only burn the tops off of the broom, and the broom will survive.
  • A slow, hot, backing fire kills most of the broom. Some plants are consumed outright, and others are scalded around the root collar, later dying from the injury. Use of a backing fire reduces the need for laborious manual removal.
  • Prescribed burns in grass consume some broom seeds and break the seed coats of others, allowing pathogens to enter and kill the seeds. Still other seeds may be stimulated to germinate so that plants can be pulled out. Over time, regular prescribed burning may be expected to help deplete the pool of long-lived buried broom seed in the grasslands.
  • Other benefits of burning native grasslands are 1) control of invading trees and 2) rejuvenation of grassland plants by comsuming dead thatch. The newly burned grasslands attract wildlife because of their greater forage value.

News Release:
BLM Arcata Field Office

Agencies Will Loan Tools to Defeat Scotch Broom

With its brilliant yellow flowers and dense, bushy stands along highways, Scotch broom is one of the most recognizable plants in northern California. It is also one of the most threatening to native plants and landscapes.

To combat the invasive plant, member agencies of the Humboldt-Del Norte Weed Management Area are loaning tools to help property owners remove the plants.

"The plants are blooming early this year, and now is a good time for property owners to begin pulling them out of the ground," said Jennifer Wheeler, a botanist with the Bureau of Land Management's Arcata Field Office.

Weed Wrenches™ are available at the BLM office, 1695 Heindon Rd., Arcata, and at the Del Norte County Department of Agriculture, 2650 Washington Blvd., Crescent City.

There is no fee in the "Lend a Wrench Program," which encourages property owners to attack Scotch Broom while the soil is still moist. The Weed Wrenches grip the stalk of the broom plants, providing leverage to help pull the plants, including the root.

"People should pull Scotch broom completely out of the ground, making sure to get the entire root," said Wheeler. "They should then pull all seedlings every spring for five to ten years and every two years thereafter. The bottom line is not to allow the young plants to attain a height capable of blooming and producing seeds."

Scotch broom was introduced into the United States as an ornamental plant. The plants proved to be a problem. They spread rapidly, forming dense, six-foot-tall brush fields that crowded out native plants that reduced forage and habitat for diverse wildlife and livestock.

Each broom plant can produce 8,000 to 12,000 seeds, and can explosively release them up to 13 feet away. Seeds can be easily spread by vehicles, shoes, animals and water runoff. Seeds remain viable for up to 30 years.

Seeds and foliage are toxic to livestock, horses, and native hoofed wildlife. Broom grows faster than most trees used in forestry, shading out tree seedlings planted after harvest.

Wheeler said individuals can contribute to controlling the plant by taking action on their own property.

For more information, contact Wheeler at (707) 825-2300 or visit www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/ipc/weedmgtareas/Humboldt/humboldt_hp.htm.

BLM - Contact: Jennifer Wheeler (707) 825-2300 or Jeff Fontana (530) 252-5332
CA-N-09-25
Original Press release - Link
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More info: http://www.nps.gov/archive/redw/scotchbr.htm