This year’s qathet Regional District (qRD) invasive plant drop-off program resulted in a significant quantity of plants being collected.
According to a media release from the regional district, in January 2017, an invasive plant management strategy was adopted by the qRD board. Included in the strategy was the creation of a regional invasive plant technical review committee, composed of representatives from qRD, City of Powell River, Tla’amin Nation, provincial agencies, and other key landowners and managers.
“Since then, a free collection event has been offered, along with education on how to safely transport invasive plants to the drop off location,” the release stated. “Last year, 6.9 tonnes were collected with common varieties residents collected including Scotch broom, English ivy, Japanese knotweed and English holly.
“At this year’s event, hosted during the month of May, 15.6 tonnes were collected. In an effort to make the drop-off location central and accessible to the public, Sunshine Disposal and Recycling was designated as the temporary drop-off site, with staff on hand to assess materials and assist residents. Invasive plants can still be dropped off year-round at Augusta Recyclers for a tipping fee.”
The release stated that invasive plants have no natural predators, giving them a great competitive advantage against desirable species. Due to the negative impacts and rapid spread, invasive plants are gaining global recognition as a serious threat, the release stated, and local governments need to play a key role in invasive plant management.
To learn more about the qRD invasive plant management strategy, go to: qathet.ca and enter invasive species in the search engine.
