Broombusters Invasive Plant Society, a group dedicated to removing one troublesome displaced species in the Parksville, British Columbia area, just celebrated 20 years of service to its community, PQB News reported.
The group's main focus is Scotch broom, an invasive plant that was originally introduced to the Americas as an ornamental garden plant.
Like many species once used for landscaping, Scotch broom did a little bit too well in its new environment. It started to spread rapidly, growing in areas where it wasn't wanted and competing with native species.
"Worst of all, it's flammable. Scotch broom is a volatile flash fuel," said Broombusters founder Joanne Sales, per PQB News. "It'll increase a wildfire's fuel load, escalate intensity, compromise fire situations to make fires more difficult to fight."
As the world gets hotter, thanks to air pollution, and wildfires get more frequent and intense, having especially flammable plants growing in unpredictable places is a recipe for disaster.
Unfortunately, Scotch broom is very good at spreading, and it has to be removed in the correct way to keep it from coming back.
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"That's why we cut, instead of pull because if we pull it, it spreads by seeds," Sales said. "If people pull it out, then it's gonna come back en masse."
To prevent regrowth, the plant needs to be cut at ground level. The Broombusters have been perfecting this technique for 20 years and have spent 75,000 hours volunteering at it.
In particular, the group thinks about how a fire might travel because of the growth of Scotch broom. For example, there is a path between Parksville and Coombs with a Scotch broom problem that could cause a fire to spread between those towns in either direction.
Sales and her volunteers continue to work hard on reducing these risks, and have asked Mayor Doug O'Brien to put up signs informing the public that they are supposed to be cutting these plants to stop complaints, a move he has said he will consider.
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