Scotch Broom Challenge 2023

Date:
Time: to
Location: Rood Government Center, Nevada City

At SYRCL, invasive plant removal is a key part of mitigating wildfire risk and protecting the abundant density of rare plants native to the foothill’s serpentine soils. Invasive species threaten native species by outcompeting them for valuable resources. Invasive plants like Scotch broom, Spanish broom, and French broom are extremely flammable, and fire germinates their seed. After a burn they can quickly push out natives and homogenize the forest ecosystem in which they have taken root. In other cases, invasive plants are well adapted to dominating some of the foothills’ unique ecosystems.

This year’s Scotch Broom Challenge is on May 5th.

Sign up now for the Scotch Broom Challenge!

Volunteer Information

Volunteers should meet at the Rood Government Center in Nevada City at 9:00 am. From there we will drive to Mountain Bounty Farm in Birchville up Hwy 49 . Mountain Bounty Farm is a Bear Yuba Land Trust (BYLT) property. It has limited parking so carpooling in encouraged, by meeting at the Rood Center we can consolidate into fewer cars and leave extra cars in the free parking lot.

We will be providing weed wrenches to pull the scotch broom.

Volunteers should bring a lunch, plenty of water, and work clothes.

Scotch Broom is a ladder fuel and an invasive weed in our forests. By removing the broom, we can help mitigate fire danger and benefit native plants in our ecosystem. BYLT has hosted multiple pulls on this property so there is a chance to see how well the ecosystem bounces back after broom removal.

Please reach out to Summer Driscoll at restoration @yubariver.org with any questions or clarifications.