acacia_tree_removal_at_chicken_ranch
Marin County Parks rangers removed an invasive acacia at Chicken Ranch Beach on Tuesday and will return to cover the stump with fabric—rather than with a pesticide—so the stump doesn’t sprout. The county gradually cut back on the use of glyphosate over the last 20 years and now doesn’t use it at all, according to a report presented to county supervisors on Tuesday. Last year, the county further reduced its application of other conventional pesticides, using just 335 ounces. Meanwhile, the use of organic pesticides and labor hours, both paid and volunteered, increased. The parks department’s report said that, given the county’s quest to reduce toxins in the environment, citizens may just have to get used to seeing more weeds.   David Briggs