Vegetation Management
Cultivating a prosperous and resilient region
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Weed of the Week
Canada Thistle
Canada Thistle is a spiny, upright plant with lance-shaped leaves and small clusters of purple, pink, or occasionally white flowers — a familiar sight in pastures, ditches, and along roadsides, but one that spreads far more aggressively than it looks.
Despite the name, it was introduced from Europe, and it's one of Alberta's most persistent noxious weeds. Its creeping roots can reach up to 4.5 metres sideways and 6 metres deep, sending up new shoots year after year, and seeds can stay viable in the soil for as long as 20 years. Because most of the plant lives underground, killing the roots is the only truly effective control — an integrated approach combining repeated mowing, healthy plant cover, and, where appropriate, herbicide gives the best long-term results.
About the Weed of the Week Series
This awareness series is brought to you by the Ag Services team. Our mission is to protect the integrity of our local ecosystem by empowering residents with the knowledge to combat invasive species.
Road Allowance Vegetation Management
From June to October, Ag Services crews apply herbicides along MD-owned road allowances to eradicate prohibited noxious weeds, noxious weeds and woody species. We target different parts of the MD each season depending on where problem vegetation may exist.
Weed Control Act
This provincial act outlines noxious or prohibited noxious weeds that present significant economic, social or ecological risks.
Opt Out of Vegetation Management
To opt out of the Roadside Herbicide Application Program, you must notify the MD before May 31 of each growing season. In doing so, you assume responsibility for control of noxious/prohibited noxious weeds and woody species on your road allowances.
Weed Control Partnership Program
The MD is pleased to partner with landholders on weed control measures. This partnership includes no-cost loans of herbicide application equipment (trailer sprayer, ATV sprayers and hand-held sprayers), plus rebates to landowners who destroy prohibited noxious weeds and control noxious weeds and on their lands.
We grant rebates of $20.00/acre to landholders who destroy prohibited noxious weeds and the control of noxious weeds on permanent cover land such as pastures, rangeland and fencelines. All prohibited noxious and noxious weeds are included.
Weed Control Through Rural Mowing
Rural mowing is a part of the MD's integrated weed management plan. These mowing activities keep roadside vegetation short to improve visibility and to ensure proper drainage. Mowing widths may vary from the edge of the road and depend on slope, obstructions and wet areas.
- Range roads and township roads are mowed twice per year, between May and September
- Rural hamlets are mowed a minimum of once per year, potentially twice depending on weather
Other Resources for Producers
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Disease & Pest Monitoring
Diseases, insects, vertebrates and invasive plants that require active pest management to protect our region's agriculture industry.
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