No city policy to combat invasive plant
By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express
It’s a common sight along the roadways in Durham Region, so much so, that many residents may not know that it’s not supposed to be there, and it’s choking out our native plants.
The invasive phragmites, a tall, yellowish reed grows in such thick stands that surrounding plants don’t even stand a chance. In fact, some animals even have trouble crawling through it and can become ensnared in the thick stalks. According to reports from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, the plant is causing “severe degradation” to coastal wetlands and beaches in North America.
“It’s an aggressive competitor,” says Kellie Sherman, coordinator with the Ontario Invasive Plant Council. “It’s growing at an exponential rate.”
Named Canada’s worst invasive plant by Agriculture and Agri Food Canada, phragmites has been spreading wildly across Ontario, penetrating into wetlands, Great Lake’s shorelines and most commonly seen in the ditches of 400-series highways.
Thought to have been brought over from Urasia in the ballast of ships in the 1940s, the plant’s invasion has been helped along in Ontario by the surge in development.
“A lot of invasive plants have been here for quite a while, but just due to development and increase in population, we’re seeing their rapid spread, especially from development,” Sherman says.
Farmers and municipalities across Ontario are attempting to deal with the plant, which not only impacts local plants and animals, but the flow of water as well.
“It grows so fast that it can change the hydrology as well,” Sherman says. “Just the amount of dead, standing stalks can impact water flow.”
Sherman points to Kingsville in Essex County where a 2014 plan is working to monitor the plant in municipal ditches and mitigate the impact it is having on water flow and soil runoff.
Severe impacts of phragmites can be seen in the areas of Long Point and Rondeau Provincial Park where the MNRF has spent approximately $2 million combatting the plant.
“There’s lots of positive work being done,” Sherman says. “A lot of people are really on top of it, a lot of grassroots initiatives.”
In this vein, Oshawa may be lagging behind as currently, according to Dru Chillingworth, the city’s supervisor of parks and facilities maintenance, there is currently no strategy in place to deal with the invasive plant.
However, earlier this year, the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) held information sessions regarding the plant, and in 2016 a pair of management projects in Clarington and Whitby were introduced.
For Sherman, the first step is simply teaching residents to identify the plant, following which prevention measures can be put in place. At the municipal level, cutting and spraying is the most effective measure. At the personal level, for those hiking and moving through wooded areas on ATVs or other bikes, ensure that your equipment is clean before moving to the areas to limit the spread.