- - AGRICULTURE CORE CURRICULUM - - (CLF3000) Advanced Core Cluster: ANIMAL SCIENCE (CLF3500) Unit Title: RANGE MANAGEMENT ____________________________________________________________________________ (CLF3503) Topic: WEEDS, BRUSH, AND Time Year(s) POISONOUS PLANTS 3 hours 3 / 4 ____________________________________________________________________________ Topic Objectives: Upon completion of this lesson, the student will be able to: Learning Outcome #: (I-7) - Collect and identify ten weeds and brush common to California rangelands and discuss control methods for each. (I-8) - Identify five plants poisonous to livestock and identify the California rangelands in which they may be found. Special Materials and Equipment: Paper, plant presses or heavy books, glue, (plastic sheet covers are optional), samples of common local poisonous plants (actual or preserved samples, slides, or pictures), VEP "Common Western Range Plants" manual. References: Ensminger, M.E. THE STOCKMAN'S HANDBOOK. Heath, Maurice E. FORAGES. Evaluation: Quiz by instructor and completion of a plant collection. TOPIC PRESENTATION: WEEDS, BRUSH, AND POISONOUS PLANTS A. Common Weeds and Brush 1. The definition of a weed is: "a plant out of place." a. Therefore, what may be considered a weed in one situation isn't considered a weed in another situation. For example: 1) Burclover may be considered a weed when it is found in someone's lawn, but it is an important forage plant on the range. 2) Weeds and brush are useful in the desert ranges for erosion control and habitat cover. 2. Problems caused by weeds and brush: a. They compete with forage plants for water, nutrients, and light, and often crowd out forage plants. b. They are often lower in nutritional value than pasture plants and are unpalatable to livestock. c. Some are poisonous. 3. Common Rangeland Weeds: a. Foothill Rangeland Weeds 1) Yellowstar Thistle 2) Italian Thistle 3) Purple Star Thistle 4) Artichoke Thistle 5) Klamath Weed 6) Medusahead Wildrye 7) Goathead b. Foothill Rangeland Brush 1) Chamise 2) Manzanita 3) Oak Trees 4) Scrub Oak 5) Poison Oak 6) California Sagebrush 7) Scotch Broom 8) Ceanothus c. Intermountain Rangeland Weeds 1) Cheatgrass 2) Thistles d. Intermountain Rangeland Brush 1) Sagebrush 2) Rabbitbrush 3) Pinon Pine 4) Juniper 4. Common methods of controlling rangeland weeds and brush include: a. Mechanical control- 1) mowing 2) ball and chaining 3) root plowing 4) bull dozing and disking b. Chemical control- 1) systemic herbicides 2) other chemicals that are economically feasible and safe c. Biological control- 1) sheep will readily consume some types of weeds in their younger stages (e.g., Russian Thistle and Ragwort). 2) insect control has been used effectively with Puncture Vine and Lantana. 3) browsing animals such as goats have been used to control some types of brush such a Wild Blackberry. 4) the Klamath Weed Beetle has been successfully, used to control Klamath Weed. d. fire e. Eradicating an undesirable plant species is an economic decision. Will the money invested in control/eradication be returned by a production increase? f. Brush and weed control (seldom practiced in desert rangelands). __________________________________________________________ ACTIVITY: 1. Have students make a weed collection, include 10 types of weeds and brush, (Use the same procedure as outlined in topic CLF 3502, "California Rangelands and Rangeland Plants" to make the collection). __________________________________________________________ B. Poisonous Plants 1. Location of Poisonous Plants: a. No section of the United States is entirely free of poisonous plants. However, the heaviest losses from them occur on the Western ranges because, 1) there has been less cultivation and destruction of poisonous plants in range areas. 2) the frequent overgrazing on some ranges results in the elimination of some of the more nutritious and desirable plants. a) These have been replaced by increased numbers of the less desirable poisonous species. b) In the West it is a serious enough problem that poisonous plants account for 8 - 10 percent of all range animal losses each year. 2. Preventing Losses from Poisonous Plants: a. Avoid areas heavily infested with poisonous plants which, due to animal concentration and overgrazing, include waterholes, trails, salt licks, and bedding grounds. b. Control and eradicate poisonous plants by mechanical or chemical means. c. Recognize signs of poisoning in various livestock species. d. Recognize various species of poisonous plants and their characteristics. e. Graze in the proper season, when poisonous plants are not palatable or are unavailable. f. Provide salt. g. Avoid cutting poisonous plant infested meadows for hay, 1) when poisonous plants become mixed with hay, it is difficult for animals to separate the safe from the toxic material. 2) The increase likelihood of consumption of poisonous plants makes the hay a very poor investment of time and money. 3. Types of Poisonous Plants: a. These are only a few of the more common poisonous plants found on Western ranges 1) Milkweed 2) Chokecherry 3) Lupine 4) Nightshade 5) Cocklebur 6) Brackenfern 7) Locoweed 8) Arrowgrass 9) Death Camus 10) Greasewood 11) Halogeton 12) False Hellebore 13) Yellow Star Thistle (horses) 14) Larkspur 15) Oak 16) Hemlock 17) Ponderosa Pine Needles 18) Klamath Weed 19) Tansy Ragwort __________________________________________________________ ACTIVITY: 1. Use prepared samples, actual plants, pictures, or slides to show common local poisonous plants. (These collections may be the result of the efforts of previous classes which can be accumulated over a period of years.) __________________________________________________________ 5/4/90sg #%&C