Weeds on wildfire burn scars raise concern

We’re glad to see plant growth return to the Waldo Canyon and Black Forest burn scars but an El Paso County official is worried about the amount of noxious weeds.

Tina Travis, a county environmental technician, said the invasive species have been growing since a week after the fires were extinguished.

“Because they’re not native to Colorado, we don’t have much to fight them with,” she said. “And the seeds they produce, along with their extensive root systems, make it difficult to control them.”

The growth rate is such that the county is working with private property owners for the first time, who live around the burn zones where weeds are spreading in and out.

“We’re asking people to try and remove their weeds as soon as they can,” Travis said. “If they wait too long, weeds will be impossible to control.”

Ironically, Travis said noxious weeds do better in drier weather than in the wet weather the area has received this year.

“In wet weather, the native plants and grasses have a better chance to compete,” she said.

The county has a staff of three people responsible for noxious weed control.

“We’re working on county property and county right-of-ways, treating weeds as we find them,” Travis said. “Sometimes, I think it’s a losing battle. However, I think we have far more victories than defeats We gain a bigger foothold every year.”