Hello, my name is Tyler Harran. I am a Junior in Agroecology and I want to take this opportunity to explain the importance of weed scientists in each of our everyday lives. To me, before working at the Albany County Weed and Pest, the position of an Extension Weed Specialist sounded far-fetched and distant from what I encountered everyday. I figured that weed control was only important to farmers, and as for extension specialists, well, I wasn’t quite sure what they did. But now I know better, my internship has enlightened me to weeds.
I can tell you, with certainty, that weed scientists play an integral role in what each of us encounter. For starters, they determine what a weed actually is. In most cases, it is a plant that is pernicious, persistent, and interferes with normal human activities. This can vary by area and according to what the management objectives will be. Now, we all know that weeds can contaminate hay, drastically reduce crop yield, and tend to be the most successful thing in our gardens. But weeds, and the work that weed scientists do, goes far beyond that. Without proper weed control, highways would quickly become overgrown with weeds creeping into the sides and cracks, eventually deteriorating the road, and creating cracks of their own. Plants are surprisingly eager to reach the surface and encroach on new territory. In addition, guardrails would become overgrown and hidden, road signs would become obstructed, and weedy species would quickly spread from coast to coast due to interstate commerce. Even more detrimental, without proper weed control, railroad commerce would grind to a halt. Most railways are in back woods and off the main grid, they are surrounded by forest and easy targets for fast-growing, aggressive plants. Proper weed control involves defending these rail lines so that they don’t soon become invisible and hidden by weeds.
On top of all this, imagine the fates of local and national parks, schoolyards, and mailboxes. Imagine your personal lawn if studies weren’t going in to what weeds were particularly aggressive or persistent and how to kill them. Because human activities have encroached on weedy areas and used it for houses, roads, farming and commerce, the study of weed control has great importance. If a weed grows in the woods, and there’s nobody around for it to interfere with, is it still a weed? No, probably not. But since there are weeds that interfere with our lives, weeds scientists must study what these plants are and how to control them.