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Some of the vegetation growing on your property
may be invasive plants.
RDNO and the province have a combined list
of 28 weeds considered to be a serious problem for agriculture.
For example, knapweed takes over productive grazing land
and out competes the native bunch grasses. It is toxic to
cattle and extremely difficult to control so it is important
to keep your property from becoming a breeding ground. Rush
skeletonweed, first found in 1983 in our area is not currently
endemic but could very quickly be as invasive as knapweed.
Not only is weed control the neighbourly thing
to do but through the Provincial Weed Control Act it is
the legal responsibility of each property owner to identify
and remove these plants. Should the regional inspector find
invasive plants, they may be controlled at the owner's expense.
Control can be through hand pulling (small areas), continual
cutting and flower head removal to weaken the plant, chemicals
(but not near wells or other sources of drinking water)
and biological controls.
RDNO has literature on weed control for these
invading species. The BC Agriculture office in Vernon has
excellent information but is geared to agricultural producers.
However, they have picture identification guides on their
web site at www.gov.bc.ca/agf/
. Look for Crop and Livestock, then Crop Protection and
Health and then Crop Pests.
Take a few moments to check your property,
especially along fence lines and disturbed soil areas.
What are Invasive Plants?
Weeds are very good competitors and grow in unwanted
areas. Invasive plants are especially problematic as they
are usually non-indiginous and, thus are even better competitors
than indiginous weeds. Non-indiginous weeds have no natural
predators or pathogens that inhibit their spread and, therefore,
infest areas rapidly. Invasive plants also produce large quantities
of viable seeds; some having the ability to remain dormant
for long periods of time.
In British Columbia, 21 invasive plants are
identified with 19 additional regional invasive plants. Seven
of these regional weeds are found in the North Okanagan.
The Problems They Cause:
- Reduce biodiversity, soil stability, and
water quality by displacing natural vegetation
- Reduce crop yields by out-competing crops
for resources
- Cause hay fever, skin rashes, and irritation
- Some are toxic and may cause health problems
if ingested
- Harbour insects and diseases of crops
- Unpalatable weeds reduce forage for livestock
and wildlife
- Chemicals produced by the weeds may taint
or contaminate milk and vegetables
- May lower property values
How Can We Control the Weeds?
The B.C. Weed Control Act makes landowners responsible
for the control of invasive plants on their property. The
Act also allows landowners to protect their property from
the invasion of weeds from neighbouring properties.
This Act is designed to protect our natural
resources and industry from the negative impacts of weed
infestations.
There are many methods of control:
- Learn to identify invasive plants
- Limit seed dispersal and the spread of
plants
- Disturbed soil should be re-seeded immediately
- Free machinery, vehicles, animals, and
persons of all seeds and plants before leaving an infested
area
- Keep fencelines, ditches, and roads free
of weeds
- Hand weeding and burning
- Tillage, mowing, mulching, and grazing
- Crop rotation and plant competition
- Biological and Chemical Control
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