Link: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/18/lake-tahoe-glyphosate

Katherine Levy remembers a childhood deeply rooted in the natural offerings of Lake Tahoe – water-skiing in the summer and working as ski instructor on the surrounding snow-covered mountains during winter months.

She recently moved back to live out her retirement along the lake’s north shore. But she doesn’t like what she has found upon her return: a US government plan to spray multiple types of herbicides, including the cancer-linked glyphosate weed killer – within national forest property that abuts the community’s cherished lake.

Its a job creation program for the healthcare sector

This plan is insane.

To protect tree growth, kill everything else!

Except this kills the soil, soil needs plants or it dries out and erodes. Soil also needs a microbiome of fungi and microbes to keep it healthy.

And it kills the pollinators, which trees need to reproduce. And it kills things like the squirrels that scatter seeds across the land, so the trees won’t be able to reproduce.

And it encourages a monoculture. One wave of disease or insect will kill the entire region’s biosphere.

So to protect the trees, kill everything else, make it so they can’t reproduce, and make the soil inhospitable. What fucking moron approved this.

The environment is far more important than jobs.

The joke was that there trying to give people cancer on purpose but sure, there are environmental impacts too...

Mountain terrain lakeside without any undergrowth sounds like a good way to create mudslides.

I'm going to go against the grain here and say the use of glyphosate is likely the appropriate thing to do. If you actually read the article they're talking about targeting very specific areas with backpack sprayers to control invasives/non natives so that native trees can grow back after a wildfire. This is conservationism. Most conservationists will use glyphosate or other broad leaf herbicides for this type of thing, because often it is the only way to get rid of aggressive invasives and allow natives to flourish. It does not have long lasting affects on the soil according to research I have seen and if they're careful about it (which the US Forestry Service usually is, they tend to know their shit) then it won't end up in the water either.

This sounds like rich white lady not understanding how forests are managed/conserved imo.

well, yes, but also that glyphosate causes cancer and the study that said it didn't was an astroturfed lie for well over a decade.

It definitely does, but again from research I've seen the risks mostly are from immediate exposure (which you can prevent with proper ppe) or extremely broad applications like farmers spraying entire fields indiscriminately.

Additionally, all other effective herbicides either have the similar carcinogenic effects or are too new to have definitive research. In either case we've not found anything that is as effective at fighting invasives. Fuck Monsanto and everything they've ever stood for, but again, this is a tool in the conversationist toolbelt that when used properly and sparingly has minimal risks.

Glyphosate does not "kill the soil", quit making shit up

When there’s nothing growing in the soil what happens?

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929139322003948

You just described half of norcal anger

Oh, I get it now. XD

Same thing that happens any time the current occupants of an ecological niche die, new ones move in and replace them, fucking duh. Nothing in this link supports your weird hippie claims, try again.

you sound like the people who mow thier grass before a drought period, and then create dust storms through the neighborhood.

Hippie claims, lol

Glyphosate isn't approved for spraying on soil lacking a certain amount of organic matter. Pretty sure it would be a felony to spray against the label in that type of forest. They need collective legal action stat.

It's usually not the only way to get rid of invasives, it's often the cheapest. Federal and other government agencies often use herbicide in wildly inappropriate if not outright illegal ways

My yard is unmowed and full of native flowering plants for the bugs lol, cope

then why are you pro glosphate calling people hippies like its derogatory if youre a bit "hippy" yourself eh?

Because glyphosate is extremely good at what it does and relatively harmless when used responsibly. Most tools aren't safe in the hands of an idiot, doesn't make them any less valuable.

Wisdom has long since lost the battle with selfishness.

those spraying the glyphosate will be exposed to the (highly-likely) carcinogenic glyphosate fumes & possibly be getting the spray on their skin & in their eyes, mouths, ears, noses & will carry the residue into their homes to share with friends & family

Guess you missed when i mentioned ppe