You can lose habitat to weeds as fast as you can to fire,” said Terry Thomas, regional habitat manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s Upper Snake Region. “At least with a fire, you often get some benefits. When you lose 1,000 acres to weeds there is no benefit. It’s just a pain.”

While exact numbers for the spread in Idaho aren’t available, experts say noxious weeds are one of the biggest contributors to the loss of wildlife habitat. According to the Idaho Department of Agriculture, noxious weeds cost the state $300 million a year through eradication efforts and loss of resources.

 

 

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