Japanese Knotweed: An Environmental and Economic Threat That We Must Address Aggressively
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Loading... - Bagaskoro Irawan
- 17 Feb 2023
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We at The Long Island Conservancy knew that Japanese Knotweed was particularly awful as an invasive, up there with bamboo, kudzu, wisteria, phragmites, oriental bittersweet, porcelain berry, and English Ivy, but after reading this article out of the UK, it may well be that Japanese Knotweed could be the worst of the lot.
- Nearly impossible to eradicate. It's roots can reach down 9 feet, and it can re-sprout from the tiniest portion of root, even years later.
- Highly destructive. It evolved as a pioneer species around volcanos in Japan, their roots growing through the hard rock of a recent lava flow. Its roots do the same to concrete.
- Economically disastrous. Japanese Knotweed is in the process of consuming Fire Island in Cherry Grove, and is well established on many of our waterways and in abandoned lots. Left unchecked, it will overrun local nature and crack your foundation.
So what do we do now? We need to inventory where there are stands of Japanese Knotweed, so we can at least begin to cut them back and keep them from spreading further. It's on everyone's property -- in our parks, our yards, along our roads. Not to be an alarmist, but it is indeed time to sound the alarm. Read More…
