Weed-free feed requests and requirements are here to stay, so learn the rules before you ride or camp on public lands.

Imagine you’ve planned a horse-camping adventure into a beautiful national park. You’ve made your reservations, planned your trail riding route, and packed up your horse gear. Of course, you’ve tossed in a few bales of horse hay to keep your horse fed during the trip. You reach the park entrance — and are turned away. Why? Those bales of horse hay could contain exotic-weed seeds.

Weeds are defined as noxious or invasive exotic (nonnative) plants. Such plants can be found throughout the 541.7 million acres of our nation’s public lands. According to United States Forest Service, we’re losing 40,000 acres of federal lands daily to weed spread.

This in mind, horse owners are being asked — and are sometimes required — to feed their horses what’s known as Certified Weed Free or Certified Weed Seed Free forage while on public lands. Certified forage includes alfalfa/grass hay, forage pellets, cubes, alfalfa, grain hay, grass hay, and straw.

Horses’ Contribution
Weeds and weed seeds are brought onto public lands by wildlife, birds, on hikers’ equipment, bike tires, logging and mining equipment, highway repair crews, cattle, vehicles and trucks, people, even via the wind. They lurk on a hiker’s boots, inside backpacker’s rolled-up ground mat, and in a cyclist’s tires.

As weeds spread, federal managers try to control them through mechanical, biological, and chemical means. But some attention has turned to preventing the arrival of weeds and control of weed seeds through what federal agencies call "weed contaminated feed and mulch."

Mulch is essentially chopped-up straw which can be blown or spread onto the ground as a cover to prevent water erosion and hold seed in place. Mulch is also included in waddles — those long, wrapped sausages strung along the side of a highway or road to control water flow.

But do horses spread a significant number of weed seeds specifically in their manure? In California (which has the largest number of equestrian trails on public lands of any state), USFS personnel note that "horses are the least contributors to weed spread. CalTrans [the California Department of Transportation], logging, mining, construction projects bring in more weed seeds than stock."

Dominican University in San Rafael, California, has completed a two-year study following a strict protocol to eliminate outside environmental contamination. The study found that some weeds "do grow from horse manure." However, the weeds that grow from manure aren’t listed on the California Department of Agriculture Noxious/Invasive Weed List — the list used by agriculture commissioners when certifying baled forage as California Certified Weed Free Feed.

So it’s understandable horse owners feel "picked on" when it comes to their continued presence on public lands. But note that, in general, trail riders wish to keep public lands weed-free. After all, equestrians are highly visible users dedicated to trail preservation, management, and use.

Finding Weed-Free Feed
It’s typically not easy finding weed-free feed. In some states, you can call the state agricultural department to obtain a list of growers who certify their fields. But in other states, there’s no centralized list of growers; instead, you must call the commissioner in each county you plan to visit.

Use these tips to locate weed-free feed and maintain its weed-free status.

Do your homework. Contact the public agency that manages the land on which you plan to camp and/or ride to find out individual restrictions. Some may require Certified Weed Free Feed in specific locations but not on all lands. Designated wilderness areas automatically require weed-free feed under the Wilderness Act, but outside the area, weed-free feed may not be required. (Read on for a feed-requirement update.) Don’t believe what you hear or read online; false stories, bad rumors, and outdated e-mails have kept a lot of horsemen from using public lands.

Find a grower. Contact the state Agriculture Department and request a list of weed-free feed growers. Some states, such as Utah and Nevada, have a list. Ask if they issue certification papers or if the bales will be marked.

Check allowable feeds. In some areas, pellets are the only allowed feed. Pellets must be processed at a specific temperature to reach a weed-free status, plus the pellet grinding has to be a certain gauge to verify seed destruction. Note that hay cubes generally aren’t considered weed-free unless they’ve been processed from fields that have themselves been certified as weed-free.

Price bales. Prices vary widely. Save time by checking prices before driving out.

Ask about bale contents. When checking bales, ask what the bale is composed of — pure oat, a grass mixture (and if so, what kinds of grasses), etc. Some national parks won’t accept even certified weed-free feed bales if timothy is mixed in, because they consider timothy a weed.

Get proof of certification. If you buy weed-free feed at a feed store, ask for a copy of the certificate. (Sometimes, there’s only one certificate for the whole hay load delivered from the field.) If the store doesn’t provide you with a certificate, make sure the receipt says "Certified Weed Free Feed."

Weeds are defined as noxious or invasive exotic (nonnative) plants. Such plants can be found throughout the 541.7 million acres of our nation’s public lands.

Keep the proof. In some states, Certified Weed Free Feed has a colored twine. In other states, a tag is attached to each bale, so keep this tag on after opening. Some sacks will have "Certified Weed Free Pellets" stamped on the sack, which is more convenient. In California, you get certification papers; there are no identifying marks on the bales.

Cover the feed. Keep your feed covered to prevent outside weed contamination.

Feed-Requirement Update
In the Pacific Northwest, a new requirement requiring the use of certified weed-free straw and feed in USFS wilderness areas went into effect on January 1, 2007. On January 1, 2009, this requirement will become effective in those wilderness areas nationwide.

The majority of states don’t have a weed-free feed/forage certification program in place for public lands managed by other agencies. But agencies within a state may have "requests" or "requirements" for feeding weed-free feed.

A new term appearing in many public-land publications is "best available quality." In other words, if you can’t find Certified Weed Free Feed, it’s acceptable to buy and use best-available-quality feed when on public lands. Note that top-quality (A-rated) hay has little or no weeds; the lowest-quality (F-rated) hay might contain not only weeds, but rocks, dirt, sticks, and other debris.

When buying "best available quality" hay, ask for a receipt from the dealer or producer showing the bales’ grade. Use this receipt as proof that you’re feeding high-quality, almost-weed-free hay.

Most weed-free regulations are based in the western states. Here’s a rundown of recent updates.

• California. The California National Park Service is in the process of writing its Best Management Practices for Equestrians on NPS Lands, in which Certified Weed Free Feed and Certified Weed Free Pellets are requested. But in areas where the feed isn’t available, says the report, "the best available quality of forage should be utilized when feeding stock." Note that the state has its own California Certified Weed Free Pellet: Elk Grove Milling in Elk Grove (www.elkgrovemilling.com). These pellets are milled at the proper temperature, and the bags are well-marked with stitching.

• Colorado; Idaho; Montana; Oregon (some counties); Utah; Wyoming. These states have programs for certifying forage as Certified Baled Feed. But even then, the weed lists used by each state differ not only among themselves but among agencies. For example, timothy hay is considered a noxious weed at Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park.

• Nevada. Nevada has a baled-hay certification program in place. (For a list of Certified Baled Hay producers, visit www.nevadadepartmentofagriculture.gov.) Note that a popular section of the Toiyabe National Forest (that includes Wolf Creek Pass) is located in California. But to ride or camp there, you must drive into Nevada to buy Nevada Certified Weed Free Feed, since the area is managed out of the USFS office in Carson City, Nevada.

Final Note
Weed-free feed requests and requirements are here to stay, so learn the rules before you ride or camp on public lands. Get involved in trail actions. Plan your home feeding program to include some weed-free pellets or baled hay. By becoming proactive instead of reactive, public lands will remain open to equestrian use

Contact the public agency that manages the land on which you plan to camp and/or ride to find out individual restrictions.