HomeMy WebLinkAbout1.15.23 Board Correspondence - FW_ Get rid of grassland weeds with fertilizers. Mow monthly to unearth wildflowers.From:Clerk of the Board
To:BOS
Cc:Sjolund, Garrett; Hatcher, Casey; Jimerfield, Joshua
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: Get rid of grassland weeds with fertilizers. Mow monthly to unearth wildflowers.
Date:Tuesday, January 17, 2023 8:22:10 AM
Please see Board Correspondence below.
Shaina PaulsenAssociate Clerk of The BoardButte County Administration25 County Center Drive, Suite 200, Oroville, CA 95965T: 530.552.3304 | F: 530.538.7120
-----Original Message-----From: Craig Dremann <craig@ecoseeds.com>Sent: Sunday, January 15, 2023 10:31 AMTo: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net>Subject: Get rid of grassland weeds with fertilizers. Mow monthly to unearth wildflowers.
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Get rid of grassland weeds with fertilizers. Mow monthly to unearth wildflowers.
Dear Board of Supervisors,
Here in San Mateo County, we have two widespread weed problems, that are major dangers to life and properties:
1.) Flammable weed grasses, that even when mowed for summer time fire protection still leave one to four tons peracre of mowed straw fire fuels on the ground, that are able to burn down homes all summer.
2.) Yellow star thistle, which is also a major fire fuel in summer especially along our roadsides, and makes ourgrasslands useless for other purposes and can drop property values steeply.
Last year, I presented two PowerPoints at our San Mateo County Weed Management Area Zoom meetings, athttps://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.ecoseeds.com/fertilize-the-weeds.pdf__;!!KNMwiTCp4spf!ADhxBrd29H73c7V40x-3P9lwSGD-
MzTGVun0lK1riSHZMqC00KPrr_aXPPdrG05HOyiwxYuVCqZxSUVgHTJsma54ew$ about getting rid of weeds
like yellow star thistle, simply by fertilizing.
Andhttps://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.ecoseeds.com/firesafe.pdf__;!!KNMwiTCp4spf!ADhxBrd29H73c7V40x-3P9lwSGD-MzTGVun0lK1riSHZMqC00KPrr_aXPPdrG05HOyiwxYuVCqZxSUVgHTJ8FqdY9g$ shows how to
use the "Shaw-Dremann Monthly Mowing at 8-12 inches High" method to convert weedy grasslands back to fire-safe wildflower fields by monthly mowing at 8-12 inches high to unearth dormant native seeds in the soil,underneath the weeds.
Once you convert the flammable weeds back to wildflowers, you have permanelt eliminated 98% of the fire fuels.
Until the end of February, is the best time of year to try either or both of my methods to restore grasslands andpermanently eliminate the flammable weeds.
The first method to try, is the “Shaw-Dremann Mowing Method” by taking a small area, one acre or two, and mow
monthly at 8-12 inches high, to get sunlight to the native seedlings, and stop the exotics from producing any new
seeds.
By converting the flammable weed grasses to fire-safe wildflowers, you can permanently eliminate 98% of the weedgrass fire fuels. This monthly mowing method is especially useful if you are trying to recover or increase thepopulation of a rare or Listed grassland plant.
Then, try the “Dremann Fertilize the Weeds to get rid of them” method, in small scale test plots and add organicfertilizers to get rid of weeds, like star thistle, stinkwort, foxtails, ripgut grass, black mustard, fennel, Italian thistles,medusahead, Brachypodium grass, filaree, wild geranium, or any other persistent grassland exotics that never seemto go away even after decades of work.
A very IMPORTANT NOTE--Continuing to graze weed infested California grasslands will make the weed mattersmuch worst, and cost a lot more when you go to replace the nutrients, that the animals walked away with over time. A much btter use would be to utilize those restored native grasslands to sell the State Carbon Credits so we can getto Carbon Neutral much sooner.
California ranchers on unirrigated rangeland after expenses only take home $1 per acre per inch of annual rainfall. By letting the native grasses grow, that forage could produce 5-10X more net income each year for those ranchers,instead of feeding those same grasses to animals.
By running A-17 soil test samples around native plants at the Waypoint Lab (Anaheim), in a bar graph format withdata only, is the method to discover the threshold amounts of soil nutrients that each of our local native plants needto grow.
For less than $55 per species, we can determine what the proper soil nutrient levels are for each native species.
Then, test weedy areas where we want to have natives growing in the future. You need a one quart soil sampletaken from right next to where a particular native plant grows, from the top 2 inches, and sift it through a 1/4-1/2screen to get the rocks and vegetable matter out. Send the form with a check, with the soil sample.
Each County in California that has flammable weeds, those areas could strt to be converted to fire-safe wildflowers,along with the yellow star thistle problems along Couty roadsides, by adding to the annual County’s budget a“Flammable Weed and Star thistle Conversion Fund” to test these two methods, and if they work as well as they dohere in San Mateo County, expand and utilize them on more areas and along more County roadsides each year.
Our State has been trying for decades to unsuccessfully “eradicate” weeds like Yellow Star thisrle, and instead needto start “converting” those weeds back to the original native fire-safe wildflowers. The methods described in thetwo PowerPoints, like here in San Mateo County, can get you there faster than any other weed management methodsthat have ever been used in the past 150 years.
Picture attached of the 14 acres getting restored in Woodside at the Kite Hill Preserve. If you and other officialsfrom your County want to visit and see what we have been able to do here in San Mateo County, the Kite HillPreserve is a public park that is open 24/7--there is no parking lot or signs--just park across from 144 Alta Mesa andwalk up the left trail to the top.
The top is between 90 and 95% pure native cover, and was done by mowing alone, and no native seeds were sown. The big wildflower displays are in April and May, and with this extra rainfall, will be a Super Bloom this year.
Come and see if this is exactly what you want to see instead of flammable weeds and star thistle in your County? Ifyou would me to take you or your group on a tour, let me know.
Sincerely, Craig Carlton Dremann OFFICE (650) 325-7333
The Reveg Edge, P.O. Box 361, Redwood City, CA 94064 Restoring California’s native grasslands since 1992, with800 acres back to 95% native cover to date.