A community of volunteers has banded together to remove 90 bathtubs' worth of invasive Scotch broom from a park in British Columbia, Canada.
As reported by Chek News, the volunteers spent an entire day pulling out the invasive plant from Solstice Park to reduce the risk of wildfires. The plant is a serious fire hazard because it has dense, woody stems and a high oil content, which makes it highly flammable. This is especially problematic during the warm and dry summer months.
The volunteers got together to remove the plants as part of a FireSmart initiative. The initiative was co-led by Green Teams of Canada and Langford Fire Rescue and supported by FireSmart BC.
When talking about the event, Langford city councillor, Mary Wagner, said, "For safety, it's critical. But it also just feels good to work with people in the community," per Chek News.
Invasive plants cause lots of issues in the environment, from crowding out native plants to significantly increasing the risk and severity of wildfires due to their flammable characteristics. Dry, woody vegetation can ignite easily and cause the fire to spread rapidly, leading to more widespread fires that cause a lot of damage. This can disrupt local ecosystems and pose a risk to people living nearby.
Ripping out invasive plants and replacing them with native ones can help reduce fire risks while also benefiting the environment. Native plants provide food and shelter for wildlife, such as pollinators, which are essential for healthy ecosystems and food production. As an added bonus, native plants are easier to maintain than non-native plants because they are adapted to local conditions and won't take over a yard. This means less maintenance and cheaper bills as people spend fewer hours watering them.
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There are lots of different ways to make your garden easier to maintain while also more eco-friendly. Some people choose to rewild their yard, while others replace their monoculture grass with clover or buffalo grass. In hot areas, some people choose to try xeriscaping, which removes the need for irrigation by incorporating drought-tolerant native plants with rocks or mulch.
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