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Thursday, February 27, 2025
Daniel Schafer

WSDA proposes adding plants to noxious weed seed and plant quarantine

In response to multiple petitions, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) proposes adding additional species to the noxious weed seed and plant quarantine, which would prohibit their sale and distribution.

If WSDA adopts the proposed amendments, businesses could no longer sell or distribute the newly added plants. The quarantine would prohibit the transport, buying, selling, offering for sale, or distribution of specific plants, seed, or plant parts, into or within the state of Washington, either in person or online.

WSDA is seeking feedback from the public on how the proposed rule amendments could impact you.

Ivy clings to tree bark.This proposal includes the following species:

  • Common (English) Ivy (Hedera helix)
  • Atlantic/Boston Ivy (Hedera Hibernica)
  • Spotted Touch Me Not (Impatiens capensis)
  • Cape Pondweed (Aponogeton distachyos)
  • Hanging Sedge (Carex pendula, Carex pendula subsp. pedula and Carex pendula subsp. agastachys)
  • Green Alkenet (Pentaglottis sempervirens)
  • Common Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare [except bulbing fennel, F. vulgare var. azoricum])
  • European Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)
  • Herb-Robert (Geranium robertianum)
  • Houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale)
  • Sulfur Cinquefoil (Potentilla recta)
  • Wild basil/basil savory (Clinopodium vulgare)
  • Yellow Nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus)
  • Camelthorn (Alhagi maurorum)
  • Russian Knapweed (Rhaponticum repens)
  • Puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris)
  • Rough Chervil (Chaerophyllum temulum)
  • Turkish Thistle (Carduus cinereus)
WSDA also proposes adding Palmer's Amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) to the noxious weed seed and plant quarantine.

Quarantines play an important role

The intrusion and spread of invasive, non-native weed species into Washington state is a common concern among public and private land managers. Invasive species put the environment and natural resources at risk while threatening the economic well-being of the agricultural, horticultural, floricultural, and forestry industries.

Several of the plant species under consideration are transported and sold within the state of Washington both as nursery plants and as seeds in packets. The escape of these plants can serve as the source for infestations in the landscape. Controlling these infestations requires significant public and private expenditures by landowners and land managers, weed boards, and weed districts. Initiating quarantines of weed species remains a critical tool for their exclusion or control.

How to provide feedback

To provide a comment, please email envjustice@agr.wa.gov. All comments received will be used to inform the agency’s Environmental Justice Assessment for this rule.

To learn more about noxious weed control in Washington, visit the WSDA website. You can also visit the WSDA rule making webpage to learn more about the proposed rule.