The Kitsap County Noxious & Invasive Species Program will be managing roadsides on Bainbridge Island next week for noxious weeds before they have a chance to set seed and spread.

According to Noxious Weed Coordinator Dana Coggon, staff was on the island last week to evaluate the roadside noxious weeds and determined that work needed to be done before the weeds grow out of control. Coggon said her staff will be using an herbicide called Vastlan, which provides a solid foundation for brush control programs and can be utilized across all vegetation management sites, including wetlands and aquatic settings.

The county may also use an herbicide called Capstone, a long-lasting control formula with quick knockdown power. According to corteva.us, this herbicide provides broader-spectrum, residual control of problem weeds, including many noxious and invasive species.

County staff will be posting pre-treatment caution signs within 20 feet of the selected areas Tuesday and Wednesday next week, which is approximately 48 hours before the treatment takes place on July 23 and 24. According to Coggon, they will provide landowners the option to sign up for a “landowner will maintain” option, allowing community members the chance to manage noxious weed infestations to best comply with WAC 16.750, which is the state’s Noxious Weed List and Schedule of Monetary Penalties.

Coggon said the main noxious weeds her program will be targeting next week include poison hemlock, tansy ragwort, knotweed, teasel and purple loosestrife.