Cal-IPC Projects

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  Safe and effective herbicide use

  When used properly, herbicides can be a useful tool in the integrated weed management toolbox. Cal-IPC and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) are working together to provide the best guidance for safe and effective herbicide use - to protect sensitive habitat, wildlife, and the people who work and play in California’s wildlands. Our goal is to provide land managers, restoration specialists, and other users with information on the situational effectiveness of all control methods, herbicide and non-herbicide, to guide and support their invasive plant control objectives and...Read More
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  2024 Cal-IPC Symposium, Oct. 23-25

  Connect with colleagues at the 2024 Cal-IPC Symposium this fall! Join session talks, workshops, and posters covering a wide range of topics related to invasive plant biology and management. Theme sessions will explore the ways in which we can “get ahead of the curve” by focusing efforts on the early stages of the “invasion curve.”...Read More
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  Desert Knapweed Containment

  Volutaria tubuliflora, or desert knapweed, is a plant from north Africa that has recently been found in California. These are the only known sites in North America. There are two small sites on the coast in San Diego County and Orange County, and a major infestation in Borrego Springs, 50 miles inland in the Sonoran Desert. This infestation has spread over 15 square miles, and range modeling shows that desert knapweed would find suitable conditions across the American Southwest. In the 2016 superbloom, partners mapped and removed populations across the area during the January to April...Read More
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  Protecting Sierra Tree Mortality Zones

  Cal-IPC, in cooperation with the California Dept. of Food and Agriculture and county Agricultural Commissioners in the Central Sierra, is working to control invasive plants that threaten to spread into areas with extensive tree mortality. Drought conditions have enabled native bark beetles to kill millions of trees in the region, making it more important than ever to control invasive plant populations which can spread into disturbed areas (more information on tree mortality in the Sierra). To support prio...Read More
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  South Central Coast Eradication

  This project targets five invasive plant species for region-wide eradication in the South Central Coast region (San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties): Canada thistle, Russian wheatgrass, Japanese dodder, Dalmation toadflax and European sea lavender. Eradication is the gold standard of invasive plant control because it means the threat from that species has been eliminated (unless the species is re-introduced to the region). It is more effective and more cost-effective than long-term ongoing containment. The species in this effort were prioritized through a comprehensive assessment with r...Read More
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  Arundo Mapping

  Arundo donax, or giant reed, is one of the most damaging invasive plants in California. Its dense canes crowd riparian areas, destroying wildlife habitat and consuming extra water. Major removal projects have been undertaken in many coastal watersheds, including the Santa Ana River in southern California, and the Salinas River on the central coast. In 2008-2010, Cal-IPC undertook mapping Arundo in coastal watersheds from Mexico to Monterey to support removal efforts. As part of Proposition 1 funding to...Read More
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  SF Bay Sea Lavender Control

  Cal-IPC and partners prioritized Algerian sea lavender (Limonium ramosissimum) and European sea lavender (L. durisculum) as top priorities for removal to protect San Francisco Bay tidal marshes. These plants are found in several other locations along the California coast (for instance, Morro Bay, Carpenteria Marsh near Santa Barbara, and San Diego). California's salt marsh habitat is home to a unique assemblage of plants and wildlife, and much of this habitat has been lost to development. Few weed species can thrive in this habitat, but sea lavender is spreading aggressively ...Read More
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  Northcoast Knotweed Eradication

  Invasive giant knotweeds routinely make the list of the worst invasive species in the world. They have wreaked havoc in western Oregon and Washington, taking over riparian areas. There are only a handful of infested areas in California, and the main challenge is on the north coast, in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. Multiple species of knotweed, including Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica), giant knotweed (F. sachalinensis) and Himalayan knotweed (Periscaria wallichii) are found in the region, at about 100 sites in all. Knotweeds are notoriously difficult to get...Read More
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  Sierra Nevada Meadows Protection

  Sierra Nevada meadows are valued for their ecosystem functions, regulating water storage and flow, and providing important wildlife habitat. Invasive plants can significantly alter vegetation communities, degrade wildlife habitat, and potentially reduce water storage and carbon sequestration functions. Our project improves understanding of these impacts and strengthens capacity to effectively address the threat. The primary activity of this project is characterizing the level of threat in Sierra meadows from invasive plants through development of a “Read More
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  Invasive Spartina Project

  Pacific cordgrass (Spartina foliosa) is a major component of tidal marsh vegetation in San Francisco Bay, which historically covered thousands of acres across the region. In the 1970s, the Army Corps of Engineers introduced Atlantic cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) to the Bay, which hybridized with its native cousin. The hybrids expanded aggressively across lower tidal mudflats and tidal ...Read More