A PQB organization dedicated to the eradication of the invasive (and highly flammable) Scotch Broom plant received quite a boost to its volunteer base this winter.
B次元官网网址淪omething unusual happened last week. We had 60 volunteers sign for Broombusters B次元官网网址� in January," said Joanne Sales, executive director of Broombusters Invasive Plant Society. "Why? The L. A. fires. ThatB次元官网网址檚 what everybodyB次元官网网址檚 concerned about."
In a presentation to Parksville council, Sales explained that both climate change and the spread of flammable invasive species, such as Scotch Broom, have contributed to a rise in wildfires around the world.
B次元官网网址淚t spreads rapidly, forms dense thickets, crowds out native plants, prevents forest regrowth, highly flammable, toxic to grazing animals and wildlife, takes over farms, clears forest and parkland and leads to a dramatic loss of biodiversity,B次元官网网址� she said during council's Jan. 20 meeting.
Categorized as a "highest risk" plant by FireSmart, broom will increase a wildfire's fuel load and escalate its intensity, according to Sales' presentation.
The plant, which can grow up to 10 feet tall, can also act as "ladder fuel", carrying a fire up from ground level to forest canopy, or from a lawn to a house.
Broombusters, a registered non-profit society, has worked with the City of Parksville since 2007 and is supported by 17 municipalities and regional districts, most of them on the Island.
One major accomplishment has been to keep Exit 46, the south entrance to Parksville, 90 per cent clear of broom since 2012, Sales said.
But now the invasive plant, with its distinctive yellow flowers, has overgrown Exit 51, just outside the city limits.
Sales suggested there could be a collaboration between the city, the Island Corridor Foundation, BC Hydro, the Regional District of Nanaimo, private developers and the ministry of transportation and infrastructure.
"This intense area of broom is so close to Parksville that it has Broombusters concerned and we would like to work with each one of these, well theyB次元官网网址檙e a conglomerate of things who have responsibility there," she said. B次元官网网址淔ire doesnB次元官网网址檛 care whose jurisdiction it is."
A new broom "forest" is beginning to form near Top Bridge, she added, B次元官网网址渢he forest was cleared and there is broom adjacent to it.B次元官网网址�
Sales requested the city continue its assistance with hauling away broom cut by volunteers. She also asked that city bylaw officers enforce the bylaw against scotch broom and "be part of the conversation" with regards to clearing Exit 51.
Broombusters will be back in action in the spring, in accordance with its motto "cut broom in bloom".
In 2024, 100 PQB residents cut broom for more than 1,400 hours, according to Sales. Broom can only spread via its seeds, she added, and not through pieces of cut down plant.
