Removing garden variety weeds from lawns and fields may be a hassle for area residents, but some may not be aware that they’re legally required to keep certain unwelcome plant varieties — those officially designated “noxious weeds” in the State of Kansas — under control.
Kansas classifies 12 plant species as noxious weeds, though only five are serious problems in Crawford County, according to County Noxious Weed Director Ed Fields. The five to look out for are bull thistle, musk thistle, field bindweed, Johnson grass and sericea lespedeza.
“Our Achilles heel is sericea lespedeza,” said Fields. “That’s the one that’s just killing us.“
Beginning in December 2020, changes will be coming to how Kansas handles noxious weeds. At that time, the noxious weed law will shift from statute to regulation, giving the Secretary of Agriculture authority to declare plant species noxious weeds “based on the recommendation of a 13-member committee, rather than that determination taking place via legislation in the Kansas House and Senate,” said Department of Agriculture Director of Communications Heather Lansdowne.
The 13-member committee is expected to be in place by this summer, after which further changes to noxious weed regulations may be expected. Until then, however, noxious weed law enforcement will continue to follow current practices.
Anyone who owns or supervises land anywhere in the county is required to either eradicate noxious weeds on their property or prevent them from spreading. Failure to handle noxious weed problems can result in a legal notice to remove the weeds within five days, after which a landowner or supervisor may face criminal charges for non-compliance and a fine of $100 per day, up to a maximum of $1,500.
(Read more: Pittsburg, KS – Morning Sun)