Nox
ious weeds are plants that can injure agricultural crops and livestock due to their evasiveness, toxicity and other harmful characteristics. The effect of noxious weeds also extends beyond agriculture to people and ecosystems. Like most states, Ohio has established processes for minimizing the negative impacts of noxious weeds. The following provisions of Ohio law address noxious weeds designation, management and eradication.
Landowners, public or private, are required by Ohio law to control noxious weeds on their property. Ohio law requires the state, counties, townships and municipalities to cut or destroy all noxious weeds, brush, briers, burrs, and vines growing along roads and streets within their jurisdictions. Additionally, the law provides township trustees the authority to control noxious weeds after a landowner or other controlling interest (including Department of Natural Resources, counties, townships, municipalities and the state) has been notified and will not, and bill the landowner for the cost of control.
Currently there are 21 weeds on the Ohio Prohibited Noxious Weed List:
- Shattercane (Sorghum bicolor)
- Russian thistle (Salsola Kali var. tenuifolia)
- Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense L. (Pers.))
- Wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)
- Wild carrot (Queen Anne’s lace) (Daucus carota L.)
- Oxeye daisy (Chrysanthermum leucanthemum var. pinnatifidum)
- Wild mustard (Brassica kaber var. pinnatifida)
- Grapevines: when growing in groups of one hundred or more and not pruned, sprayed,cultivated, or otherwise maintained for two consecutive years.
- Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense L. (Scop.))
- Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum)
- Cressleaf groundsel (Senecio glabellus)
- Musk thistle (Carduus nutans)
- Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
- Mile-A-Minute Weed (Polygonum perfoliatum)
- Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)
- Apple of Peru (Nicandra physalodes)
- Marestail (Conyza canadensis)
- Kochia (Bassia scoparia)
- Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri)
- Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata)
- Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum)
Each week, for the next 21 weeks, I will post information and pictures on how to identify these evasive and harmful plants.