NAISMA Weed Free Forage Guidelines
Click here for the Wyoming Weed and Pest Council online map to find your certified weed free forage and mulch throughout Wyoming.
The U.S. Forest Service, Yellowstone National Park and the Bureau of Land Management have issued policy orders requiring the use of “Certified” Weed Free Forage for use on public lands. The North American Weed Free Forage (NAWFF) program was established by the federal agencies as a preventative program to reduce the spread and introduction of new weed infestations on public lands.
The North American Weed Free Forage certification inspection standards have been accepted as a regional program that includes most states west of the Mississippi and Canadian Provinces. The Weed Free Forage program is a voluntary program. Forage producers may request their lands to be inspected for the 55 weed species listed as prohibited as well as any other state or local species of concern. The species prohibited on the NAWFF list include annuals such as mustards and wild oats. Inspection must take place BEFORE the field is cut. Please call our office at 754-4521 at least 10 days prior to cutting.
Individuals wishing to have their fields inspected for Weed Free Certification will be charges a $50.00 inspection/administrative fee per visit regardless of the number of fields or acres inspected for one renter of landowner. This fee applies to each cutting or visit regardless of whether or not the field meets minimum certification requirements of the program. If only a portion of the field meets certification standards, that portion must represent a minimum of 50% of the total field.
Individuals that have met the certification standards for Weed Free Forage will be issued a certificate. This certificate allows that producer to purchase Certified colored twine from their local Weed and Pest District.
Producers wishing to sell forage from fields certified through the University of Wyoming Seed Certification are still required to bring documentation into Park County Weed and Pest in order to obtain the certificate to sell that forage as Certified Weed Free. This is done at a one time fee of $30.00.
Weed Free Gravel Guidelines
Along with the Weed Free Forage program, Park County Weed and Pest Control District (PCWP) is working with applicants of gravel pits or top soil suppliers to establish a weed free source of these products for new developement. Time has proven that preventing new weed infestations from moving into weed free ares is by far the cheapest and easiest method of noxious weed control. The standards are the same as for the Weed Free Forage program. Once a pit and surrounding area is inspected, they too receive a certificate.
This program is endorsed by the Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee subcommittee of Noxious Weed of which PCWP is an active member of. Once certified, these products are then able to be used in ares that require a weed free source such as the National Park Service in Yellowstone National Park.
Any existing pit operators or top soil providers that may wish to have their operation inspected (voluntarily), may contact PCWP for an inspection. In developing the Long Term Noxious Weed Management Plans, one area of concern is hauling in materials that already have a noxious weed component. We encourage applicants to ask their gravel or soil provider if their product is “weed free”. Once again it is our intention to prevent the spread of noxious species in Park County. Ensuring a weed free start on development may seem like a small step but it is a small piece of the larger puzzle.