By Sarah Busdon
The Blaine County Commissioners unanimously passed a county ordinance last year declaring certain yew plant species as noxious weeds. This prohibits the sale, planting and possession of the plant. It also provides penalties for violations. Yew species on the county noxious weed list include: Japanese yew (Taxus cuspitdata), European or English yew (Taxus baccata) and Chinese yew (Taxus chinensis) and their hybrids. The ordinance was effective as of March 2015.
The ordinance was enacted in response to the fact that, during the 2015-2016 winter, foraging wildlife consumed toxic yew plants in residential areas of Blaine County, which resulted in the death of at least 20 elk.
Yews are an evergreen shrub, tree, or plant with a thin, scaly, reddish-brown-colored bark. The branches can ascend or droop. The needless are long and flat, dark green on top and light green on the underside. A fleshy red coat surrounds the poisonous seeds.
To dispose of yew plants, dig up the entire plant, including the root ball. Collect and bag all parts of the plant, including and seeds and needles that have dropped. All bagged yew plants need to be separated from other waste products or materials. You can dispose of the bagged yew plants at the Ohio Gulch Transfer Station.
For more yew information or identification, please contact the Blaine County Weed Department or the University of Idaho Extension office.
Sarah Busdon is an administrative assistant with University of Idaho’s Blaine County Extension office. For more information, visit extension.uidaho.edu/blaine or call (208) 788-5585.