Ochoco NF: Whitetail Pit access to close for weed spraying

The Ochoco National Forest plans to temporarily close access to Whitetail Pit and a short spur road that accesses it during this fall and winter while crews treat a Medusahead rye infestation with herbicide.

Whitetail is used as a material source for landscape rock by permit holders and it’s also occasionally used by recreational target shooters. It is located on the Lookout Mountain Ranger District near the South Green Mountain Trailhead on Forest Service Road 3380.

The district plans to place a temporary barricade at the junction of Forest Service Road 3380 and Forest Service Road 3380025 this month, closing the 3380025 spur for a quarter-mile to its terminus at the Whitetail Pit.

Plant managers plan to apply the herbicide imazipic this fall and next spring in an effort to eradicate the infestation and prevent its spread into a nearby drainage. Work will follow the design features in the Record of Decision for the 2012 Invasive Plant treatment project.

Medusahead rye is an aggressive winter annual grass that outcompetes most native species while providing little or no nutritional value to livestock or wildlife.

To find out more, contact Public Affairs Officer Patrick Lair at (541) 416-6647 or plair@fs.fed.us