Aerial cheatgrass spraying underway on Pole Mountain

(Laramie, WY) – Public visitors to the Pole Mountain unit of the Medicine Bow National are advised that aerial spraying of cheatgrass is underway. Daily spraying began this morning, Friday, April 10, and weather permitting could extend through April 20.

Application by helicopter of the herbicide Rejuvra is targeting up to 2,300 acres on a landscape that has been the focus of multiple years’ worth of treatment. This year, the area along Forest Roads 707 and 707.A will be treated, between Pole Mountain proper and Twin Mountain, south of Wyoming Highway 210.

The treatments coincide with annual seasonal road closures on Pole Mountain so impact to recreating public should be minimal. Signage and treatment maps will be posted at main public access points into the treatment area. Public should avoid the treatment areas during active helicopter operations.

A partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (USFS) and Laramie County Conservation District (LCCD) has served to continue the spraying this year. LCCD has a vested interest in the Medicine Bow National Forest, Pole Mountain unit due to its’ watersheds, rangeland, and proximity to private and state lands in neighboring Laramie County.

This is the fourth consecutive year of consistent annual effort to halt expansion of cheatgrass on National Forest System land in eastern Albany County, Wyo.

Emphasis for the treatment is on controlling non-native, annual cheatgrass on rangeland, enhancing native vegetation species, stabilizing soils, and reducing erosion. Treating cheatgrass greatly minimizes the risk of wildfire in these areas by the reduction in fine fuels and diminishes the threat of shorter fire intervals in the future. Efforts are focused on high-risk areas where the spread of cheatgrass could allow it to become established as dominant plant species.

Aerial treatments of cheatgrass have proven successful on the Medicine Bow National Forest. Since 2020 and including this year’s application, nearly 20,000 acres have been treated for cheatgrass via aerial application in the Pole Mountain unit and neighboring Curt Gowdy State Park landscape. 

Cheatgrass is a particularly aggressive invasive species that many agencies and landowners in the western United States are struggling to control. It is a prolific seed producer, thrives in disturbed areas and can displace native plants within grass and shrubland communities.

The ability to spray aerially is a result of the 2015 Record of Decision for Invasive Plant Management on the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland.

Specific questions about this project should be directed to Jackie Roaque (USFS), 307-745-2340.

Additional resources can be found on our website. Information is also available on social media: @FS_MBRTB on ‘X’ or @FSMBRTB on Facebook.