Tropical Storm Irene Spreads Invasive Knotweed

Submitted by: ECHO Staff

Submitted on: 2012-07-05

May 24, 2012
Brian Colleran from the Agency of Natural Resources has one focus for the summer - controlling Japanese Knotweed spread by Tropical Storm Irene.

Colleran says it could be overwhelming to think about all the places new plants are sprouting up, but he says the good news is that with a little help, removing the plants shouldn't be a problem. Japanese Knotweed looks like red asparagus and is often referred to as "bamboo".

It's problematic because it spreads by it's roots, which are shallow and if you try to dig it up when it's well established you may just be creating more plants.

On top of that, it contributes to riverbank erosion allowing soils to wash downstream and making entire sections of banks unstable. But there's hope.

Many of the plants that were transported during Irene are small and haven't established a strong roots system yet so they are easy to dig up and dispose of.

The tough part is locating where all these new plants are and that is Colleran's other job this summer, teaching people how to identify and report the plant, then show communities how to remove it properly.

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