The City of Oakland, which has had a ban on chemical pesticide use for several years, plans to reverse the ban and make exceptions in the Oakland parks.
 

• Ordinance in place was no pesticides.
• Pesticides were not mentioned.
• Voters were led to believed that non toxic methods would be used !
   

• When Broom was hand cut, carted away and native plants were planted..
• There was no Recurrence.
• The Broom was successfully Crowded Out !
   
• Hand cutting alone is ineffective.
• Herbiciding alone is ineffective.
• Broom seeds last for 30 years.
   
• Replanting crowds out the seeds.
   

• The Wildfire Advisory Board was only formed in November 2004, and no other methods appear to have been done nor evaluated which is contrary to the current IPM Policy.
   
• Several Methods could be done ...

• Cut and replant to crowd out weeds and stop erosion.
• Weed Wrench and replant.
• Goats.
• Hot Water/Foam
• Biological Controls for Broom
• Controlled Burning for non Eucalyptus (burning kills the seeds)
• Eucalyptus major cut once, then minor trimming.
• etc...
   

• What do you think happens to a hillside if the broom is cut or pesticides applied
  (without replanting)?
• You have to replant to stop erosion.
   
• What happens to a hillside if the Eucalyptus is cut without replanting ?
• Bare hillsides have erosion issues.
   
• If you don't replant, then you get an erosion problem.
• If you do replant, then herbicides serve no purpose.
   
• Why waste tax payer money on herbicides
  (let alone the harm to the environment and people) ?
   
• Erosion costs the city and tax payers money.
   
• The city plan appears to be to leave dead debris in place.
• Dried Debris Creates a Fire Hazard.
• Dead debris is more flammable than live debris.
• You have to cart away the dead debris.
   
• Currently, the city ordinance is ineffective (due to lack of replanting),
• It creates an erosion problem (due to lack of replanting),
• And creates a fire hazard (due to leaving dead debris).
   
• So, if you have to cart the dead debris away and you have to replant...
• THEN WHY WASTE MONEY ON HERBICIDES ?
• Not to mention that herbicides add toxic products to the environment.
   

• For some plants, cutting stumps and painting us impractical. Backpack spraying appears to be planned for:

• Pampas Grass
• Himalayan Blackberry
• Cotoneaster
• Maytenus Boaria (Mayten)

• How, is someone going to cut this and paint the stumps ?
• Does it make sense to PAINT a hillside FULL of SCOTCH BROOM ?
• That would be A LOT more time consuming than hand pulling!
   

• It's not limited in the amount that can be applied,
• or when it can be applied,
• or how often it can be applied,
• or where it can be applied.
   
• It's not limited at all!