This spring and early summer, signs that advocated for the control of Scotch broom appeared on the sides of roadways around Victoria. The message B次元官网网址淐ut Broom in BloomB次元官网网址� was part of an ongoing battle that has now been waged for years on Vancouver Island. 

So, whatB次元官网网址檚 the problem with broom?

In short, the plant is a menace.

Lacking the natural controls that exist in its original habitats, Scotch broom has spread like wildfire to the point where it poses a litany of dangers, most notably the fact that it endangers the regionB次元官网网址檚 native flora.

But thatB次元官网网址檚 only one of the problems. 

B次元官网网址淭he broom will certainly crowd out native species, but beyond losing those other plants, it also has a serious effect on the rest of the ecosystem,B次元官网网址� said Gail Wallin, executive director of the Invasive Species Council of B.C. B次元官网网址淎ll the insects and birds that rely on those ecosystems are also affected. Bees, for example will take advantage of the flowers on broom, but itB次元官网网址檚 a feast and famine situation where, once those blooms are gone, there are no other flowering plants left for the bees.B次元官网网址�

According to Wallin, the broom infestations also pose a significant threat to the much-valued Garry oak ecosystems on the Island. ItB次元官网网址檚 also toxic to livestock and can actually change the soil chemistry in infested areas.

But beyond the damage to the Vancouver Island's ecological balance, broom poses what some consider an equally serious threat that sometimes goes unrecognized. 

B次元官网网址淏room has an incredibly high oil content and itB次元官网网址檚 a naturally dry wood so itB次元官网网址檚 a serious fire hazard,B次元官网网址� said Janne Sales, executive director of Broombusters. B次元官网网址淲e just did about eight cuts through the Sooke parks department and thereB次元官网网址檚 another group removing broom in East Sooke in conjunction with the CRD. But despite our efforts, broom is something you have to stay on top of.B次元官网网址�

The problem is that Scotch broom is highly flammable and, when it spreads all along roadways or hydro rights-of-way, it provides the perfect highway of accelerant materials in a region where forest fires are already a serious concern.

B次元官网网址淚t certainly isnB次元官网网址檛 something you want anywhere near your home,B次元官网网址� Sales said.

But the message is beginning to spread.

B次元官网网址淚n past years, weB次元官网网址檝e had more than 600 volunteers out cutting broom. They probably put in more than 6,000 hours a year to try to control it.B次元官网网址�

But control isnB次元官网网址檛 as easy as one might assume.

In the past, it was found that cutting broom with bush saws just didnB次元官网网址檛 work and that crews were actually spreading seeds so that, when they returned to the same area the following year, the infestation was worse.

B次元官网网址淭he best time to cut broom is when itB次元官网网址檚 in bloom and when most of its energy is being taken up with the flowering process,B次元官网网址� said Wallin. B次元官网网址淭hen you have to remove those cuttings and dispose of them properly.B次元官网网址�

But removal is still possible at other times of the year, so long as the cut plants are disposed of in dedicated areas.

Paul Henry, a broom-bashing volunteer with the Highland Community Association heads the communityB次元官网网址檚 eradication program. 

B次元官网网址淲hat we do involves community education. In May, we have our B次元官网网址楤room BashB次元官网网址� where people go out on their own and cut broom and then bring it to us to be disposed of,B次元官网网址� said Henry. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e been doing this for 10 years and IB次元官网网址檝e seen some dramatic changes in the amount of broom." 

The group has incentivized participation through raffles and prizes for the biggest broom pile and, during COVID, even traded big bundles of toilet paper for piles of broom. 

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檒l do whatever it takes to let people know how much of a danger this plant is.B次元官网网址�

And yet, despite the fact that, according to the invasive species council of B.C., invasive species are responsible for tens of millions of dollars in damage, there are still some landscaping firms that continue to sell and promote invasive plants as landscaping material.

B次元官网网址淲e need to educate those businesses and people in general about the damage that theyB次元官网网址檙e doing by continuing to use invasive plants,B次元官网网址� Wallin said.

If only that education had existed back in 1850, when Captain Walter Colquhoun Grant, apparently homesick for Scotland, decided to plant the first Scotch broom on Vancouver Island.

B次元官网网址淲e certainly know better now B次元官网网址� or at least we should know,B次元官网网址� said Wallin.