Pest plan passed

At its meeting Wednesday evening (Jan 25), Lanark County Council adopted the County’s updated Integrated Pest Management Vegetation Management Plan.

The original plan was adopted in 2016 to manage vegetation in order to maintain safe roadsides. It aimed to reduce reliance on mowing, brushing and spraying, while restoring pollinator habitat.

Updates to the plan reflect the County’s practices for controlling wild parsnip, the long-term goal to establish diverse roadsides with abundant pollinator habitat, and current vegetation management practices. Changes include:

• A statement outlining the county’s long-term goals for pollinator habitat and information on how roadsides are restored
• Highlights on how control is easier when weeds are present at low levels
• Emphasis on the importance of plantings and naturalization to increase diversity of flowering species along roadsides (density of vegetation for biological weed control and natural competition)
• Increased detail on the process of wild parsnip control
• Updated maps and seed mix information

Article by Brian Turner

Author: Hometown News