In memoriam: Carl Bell

Carl Bell

Carl Eugene Bell, UC Cooperative Extension weed science advisor emeritus, passed away on July 31 in San Diego. He was 75.

Bell began his 35-year UCCE career in 1979 as a weed science advisor in Imperial County, where he advised growers and production consultants on weed management on large farms as well as small-scale and organic produce operations. His research proved solarization was very successful at controlling weeds in organic winter vegetables at a reasonable cost.

In 2000, he was reassigned to Southern California to advise land managers on controlling non-native plants that invaded natural habitats. As UCCE invasive plants advisor, he served San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura and San Bernardino counties. “My methods reduce the cost of restoration from several thousand dollars per acre to less than $200 per acre,” Bell said in a 2014 retirement story.

Later in his career with UC ANR, he served for a period as UCCE director in San Diego County, in addition to his research and extension work. In retirement, he started his own consulting business, So Cal Invasives, to continue providing advice on managing invasive plants.

Bell, who was born in Los Angeles, earned his bachelor's degree in botany and master's degree in plant biology from California State University, Long Beach.

“From early on, I realized how lucky I was to be working as a weed scientist, both with UC and with the larger world of weeds outside the ivy-covered walls,” Bell wrote in a 2014 blog post announcing his retirement. “Weed scientists and practitioners have always been inclusive, supportive and interesting; and populated by fun-loving, intelligent, hard-working and egalitarian colleagues.”

Brad Hanson, UCCE weed specialist at UC Davis, shared his memories of Bell.

“I first met Carl at a weed workgroup meeting in 2005, just a few weeks after I started working in California,” Hanson said. “While I never worked on the same weed-management issues as Carl, I was always impressed with his leadership and engagement with his weed science colleagues from around the state. In particular, he was an important and visible leader in the California Weed Science Society, where he had a very large impact on weed research and outreach in our state.

“I enjoyed Carl because he had a great combination of intensity about what he did as a professional, but also was quick-witted, engaging, and quick to laugh with his friends and colleagues. Throughout my career, I've decided that it's people like Carl who make the extension network the best of what it can be – driven by good science, strong connections, service-oriented, and fun to be a part of.”

On the UC Weed Science Blog, Hanson wrote: “Carl was a very active and visible member of the California Weed Science Society for most of his career. He was a regular contributor to the program as a speaker and session chair and served on the program committee and board of directors in several capacities, including as CWSS President in 2008. His work was recognized by the CWSS several times including with the Award of Excellence (2002), as an Honorary Member (2010), and with a Presidential Award of Lifetime Achievement (2014). At the end of his career, he took on the job of co-editing the 4th edition of the Principles of Weed Control, a textbook published by the CWSS.”

Read more about Bell's life at https://www.featheringillmortuary.com/obituaries/carl-bell.

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