“Noxious weed” is a legal term used at the federal, state, and county level to identify and list plants that pose a significant threat to agriculture, the environment, recreation, and public health.
At a State level, The Utah Noxious Weed Act defines a noxious weed as " ... any plant the commissioner determines to be especially injurious to public health, crops, livestock, land, or other property”.
Typically, noxious weeds are invasive* non-native plants, that once established are not only difficult to control but spread aggressively. Outside of their native origins, noxious weeds become oppressors with no known natural competitors to keep their populations in check. These silent invaders quickly begin to out-compete native plants often forming monocultures, and forever changing our landscapes. Unlike other ornamental and introduced plants that blend in harmlessly, noxious weeds are nothing short of ecological time bombs.
*Invasive Plant: An invasive plant is “an unwanted plant that is not native to the area of infestation and is capable of displacing native species. “ (California Weed Science Society. 2002). Invasive plants are not listed on the State Noxious Weed List, but have the potential to become a listed noxious weed. Therefore, the Salt Lake County Weed Control Program monitors invasive plant infestations.
