NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — Mendocino National Forest officials are seeking public input on a proposed forest-wide Invasive Plant Treatment Project.

The purpose of the proposed project is to reduce the extent and spread of invasive plant infestations in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Non-native invasive plant species are among the most significant environmental and economic threats facing land managers.

Invasive plants compromise the ability to manage public lands for a healthy native ecosystem.

There are approximately 1,900 known infestations of non-native invasive plant species across more than 10,000 acres within the Mendocino National Forest.

Of these known infestations, over 1,100 were documented during post-fire surveys after the 2018 Ranch Fire and 2020 August Complex.

Some of these sites were likely spread by disturbances associated with fire and suppression, while others may have existed prior to the fires. Much of the forest remains unsurveyed, and new invasive infestations can appear at any time.

The Invasive Plant Treatment Project would improve the forest’s ability to rapidly detect and treat current and future infestations of non-native invasive species using an integrated pest management approach.

This approach could include manual, mechanical, herbicide, grazing, prescribed fire and biological control methods.

One objective of the project is to improve treatment effectiveness by providing a broader suite of methods land managers can use to remove targeted species while minimizing risks to human health and the environment. Another objective is to eradicate invasive species infestations when they are small, thereby reducing costs, difficulty and impact to forest resources.

Forest Supervisor Wade McMaster encourages all interested parties, organizations, agencies, tribes and state and local governments to share their thoughts or concerns regarding the project. Public questions and comments are an integral part of the environmental analysis process and are used to identify issues and develop alternatives to proposed actions.

A public meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 4, at the Mendocino National Forest headquarters at 825 N. Humboldt Ave. in Willows.

The meeting and presentations will begin at 4 p.m.

Forest personnel will be available for discussion and questions until 6pm.

For those who are not able to attend in person, the meeting can be attended virtually through Microsoft Teams using this link: Public Meeting (https://bit.ly/InvasiveWeedsMeeting), or by calling 323-886-7051, phone conference ID 35789948#.

Comments should be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. in one of the following formats: Microsoft Word, rich text format or Adobe Portable Document Format (pdf) and include “Invasive Treatment” in the subject line.

Comments can also be mailed in to Mendocino National Forest, ATTN: Invasive Plant Treatment Project, 825 N. Humboldt Ave., Willows, CA 95988.

The public will be able to review and comment on the project through Oct. 25, 2023. Project documents will be available online at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/mendocino/?project=64906.

Questions about the project can be directed to the project lead Japhia Huhndorf, Upper Lake Ranger District botanist, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 530-473-9015.