New study shows ATVs disperse weed seeds

It has been well established that roads spread weeds.  Soil disturbance from road building and maintenance provides a perfect environment for weeds to become established.  And vehicles traveling on roads can transport their seeds - further expanding their distribution.  A recent study from the Montana State University experimentally demonstrated that off-road vehicles also can be a major source of weed seed dispersal along backcountry trails.  While this is not the first study to document that ORVS disperse weeds (see Gelbard and Harrison 2003, Rooney 2005), this study examined the timing and mechanisms of dispersal.  Taylor et al. (2011) report:

“Field studies showed vehicles pick up and disperse seeds. ATVs picked up and carried more seeds off-trail than on-trail, with higher numbers in the fall than spring. Other vehicle types picked up more seeds when driven on wet than dry unpaved roads. Seeds fell off vehicles more rapidly under wet conditions, while few seeds fell off under dry conditions.”

Check out the full paper here:

http://msuextension.org/publications/AgandNaturalResources/MT201105AG.pdf