Broom is Bad Stop, Drop & PULL!
Broom is super bad for the environment and adds fuel to wildfires. Removing it lets the native vegetation return and thrive, and pulling it offers a real sense of accomplishment too (see what we mean at 2 minutes into the video below).
Bald Hill Broom Bust 1-31-15 from Christopher Ruedy on Vimeo.
MCBC encourages bicycles to Stop, Drop and Pull when you ride. Just 10 minutes of pulling on each ride can have a major impact. It’s best to adopt an area that you can tackle over the course of a season and then come back year after year and pull the saplings. It’s easiest to pull broom following rains. Go after the smaller stocks and leave the larger plants for volunteer broom pulls, like the one on White Hill Trail in Fairfax on June 6 (click here to sign-up).
You can also remove broom to improve sightlines, which reduces the risk of startling other trail users.
BEFORE:
After – Improved sight lines on the same trail
CAUTION: Broom patches are often inhabited by poison oak, so be on the lookout if you are allergic.
Example of Scotch Broom
Example of French Broom
