WeedWise
Pulling together to control invasive weeds.
About WeedWise
The WeedWise program works to control harmful invasive weeds in Clackamas County. Since it started in 2009, the program has focused on protecting community livability, economic health, and natural areas. Controlling all invasive weeds costs more money than we have, so the WeedWise Program focuses on the ones that are the most harmful, do the most damage, and are still limited enough to remove or contain. These are our priority invasive weeds.
Our goal is to prevent priority invasive weeds from establishing and spreading out of control. We do this by removing these weeds from private and public lands in the county. For more common weeds, the program offers advice and information to help you manage them better and more effectively.
We also help residents and visitors learn how to spot and report invasive weeds. This makes it possible to track where the weeds are spreading. WeedWise works closely with local landowners by giving them advice, information, and tools to help control weeds on their property.
What Are Weeds?
The WeedWise program focuses on invasive weeds that pose the greatest threat to Clackamas County.. These weeds share three important traits:
- They do not belong here. These plants did not originally grow in our area—they were brought here, sometimes by accident or on purpose.
- They spread aggressively. Invasive weeds grow and multiply quickly, crowding out native and other preferred flowers and trees.
- They cause harm. Invasive weeds damage our natural areas, cost money to control, and can make outdoor spaces less enjoyable.
By targeting invasive weeds, the WeedWise program helps protect Clackamas County’s plants, animals, and people. Together, we can keep our community healthy and beautiful!
Why Should We Care About Weeds?
Invasive weeds alter the land and cause many problems for people, animals, and plants. Here’s how invasive weeds can affect us:
They take over natural areas.
Replacing native plants that local wildlife rely upon.
They reduce crop yield.
Farmers lose money because invasive weeds reduce how much food they can grow and harvest.
They harm wildlife.
Food sources and shelter for local wildlife are destroyed by invasive weeds.
They can make people sick.
Some invasive weeds cause allergies, skin reactions, or cuts and scrapes.
They damage property.
Invasive plants can destroy homes and other structures as they grow.
They hurt livestock and pets.
Some invasive weeds cause pets, livestock, or horses to get sick or die from eating them.
They lower property values.
Homes and land may lose value if covered with invasive weeds.
They cause erosion.
When invasive weeds take over, streambanks and hillsides can start to erode.
They can increase the risk of wildfires.
Invasive weeds grow quickly, leading to more intense and frequent wildfires that damage homes and natural areas.
They lower water quality.
Invasive plants can pollute our drinking water sources.
They limit how we use land.
Invasive weeds can make it harder to enjoy outdoor spaces or use land for farming and building.
They disrupt nature.
Invasive weeds interfere with natural processes that keep ecosystems healthy.
Every year, invasive weeds cost Americans billions of dollars by reducing work productivity and causing long-lasting damage. Removing these weeds helps protect our land, water, and wildlife. Taking care of our land now will help keep it healthy for future generations.
What We Do
The WeedWise program focuses on three main areas to stop invasive weeds from spreading. This helps us work efficiently and effectively.
Service and Assistance
Looking for a contractor to help you tackle invasive weed control? Visit our Contractor Directory.
Controlling invasive weeds is a big job, and the WeedWise program works to maximize our impact by helping the residents of Clackamas County learn how to control weeds on their property.
WeedWise offers technical support to help landowners manage invasive weeds. You can call, email, report problems on our hotline, or visit us in person — we will do our best to help.
We also offer presentations and training for groups and community organization events. These events teach how to identify, report, and control invasive weeds. If you want us to speak to your group, let us know!
To make weed control even easier, we have a Weed Equipment Lending Library. This library has tools that Clackamas County residents can borrow for free to remove invasive shrubs and small trees. Contact us to reserve the tools you need today!
We focus on improving how we manage weeds by studying their locations, risks, and the benefits of controlling them.
To direct our activities, we survey for invasive weeds and track where they are found. With help from public and private landowners, we collect this data and share it to help improve regional land management and guide control efforts in the county.
In addition to the surveys, we evaluate and assess invasive weeds to understand their potential impact, how hard they are to control, and the benefits of managing them. Using this information, the WeedWise program works with state and regional partners to create a priority list of invasive weeds in Clackamas County. This list helps us focus on the most important weeds to control in our area, while also considering statewide priorities.
We also consider what could be lost if weeds are left uncontrolled in areas of the county. This means evaluating green spaces and natural areas, how close they are to farms and natural resources, how people use the land for fun and tourism, and how likely these lands are to be taken over by invasive weeds.
All of this information is used to create our Clackamas County Invasive Species Index and areas of focus for targeted weed control efforts.
The WeedWise program focuses on controlling invasive weeds directly in the field. We work with local and regional partners to create large-scale solutions for managing these harmful plants.
Report Invasive Weeds
Private landowners are our most important partners. We work with landowners to access and treat weeds on their property. Once they join the program, WeedWise staff and contractors treat priority invasive weeds at little or no cost. We are thankful for the support of so many landowners!
We also partner with the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Biological Control Program. This program uses safe biological controls to target some of the most harmful invasive weeds, helping local landowners at little to no cost.
Because invasive weeds do not stop at county lines, WeedWise works with regional partners to address weed problems that cross borders. To learn more, visit our Directory of Partners.
The WeedWise Program works to protect Clackamas County from the constant threat of invasive weeds. Our projects cover all corners of the county, but we mainly work on priority invasive weeds, priority sites, and priority projects.
Learn about the history of invasive weed management in Clackamas County
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Working Together: WeedWise Partners
Controlling invasive weeds can be tough. These weeds spread everywhere, ignoring fences and borders. That’s why we team up with local and regional partners to stop them. We work closely with agencies and organizations to ensure our efforts are more effective. We are grateful to all our partners for their hard work in helping reduce the damage caused by invasive weeds.
Get Weed Wise
Use our Invasive Species Index to identify and learn about weeds.
Report Invasive Weeds
The best way to manage invasive weeds is to find and remove them before they spread out of control. You can help us by reporting priority invasive weeds when you see them. If you see a new plant starting to take over, REPORT IT to help protect your property from invasive weeds!
Weed Tool Library
We are here to help! Take a look at our Weed Tool Library. We have several different types of tools to help remove trees, shrubs, and even lake rakes for aquatic weeds. You can borrow any tool for free!
More Resources
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Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District
