Noxious Weeds & Invasive Plants

The Regional District of North Okanagan provides education to raise public awareness of the impacts of invasive plants. 
In accordance with British Columbia's Weed Control Act, control of noxious weeds & invasive plants on private property is the responsibility of the occupier of land.

What are Noxious Weeds?

Noxious weeds are plants listed in the BC Weed Control Act Regulations and are also invasive plants. Both are non-native plant species that invade our ecosystems and out-compete native plants and cultivated crops for water, nutrients, and light. Highly adaptable and difficult to control, these alien plants grow aggressively without the predators and plant pathogens that kept them in check in their native habitats.
lnvasive plants are tough, adaptable, and aggressive, growing quickly on disturbed sites via root fragments or seeds. A single plant can produce thousands of seeds that can be dispersed by wind, water, soil, and human activity.
Invasive plants can be found almost anywhere: roads, trails, railways, grasslands, wetlands, parks… even in your own garden. Watch out for wildflower seed mixes that contain invasive plant seeds. Seeds and plant parts may hitch a ride on boots, clothing, backpacks, animals, and vehicles, thus traveling from infested areas quickly and easily.

Make Note:  Not all invasive plants are classified as noxious weeds. Some weeds are classified as provincial noxious or just within certain regional districts of British Columbia, with certain species classified as noxious within the boundaries of the Regional District of North Okanagan.

What You Need to Know

The Weed Control Act of BC imposes a duty on occupiers of land to control noxious weeds, but without wide-spread cooperation and a commitment by individuals to address the problem, the efforts of weed programs can have limited success.

Please do your part by learning more about invasive plants and get actively involved, for the sake of our environment and economy. Together, we can make a difference!