Editor:
I enjoyed Peter Light’s Aug. 18 item (“Bio-invasion: myth, menace or phony war?”) and agree with some of it. I spent many hours over 12 years removing English holly and English ivy from Pacific Spirit Park. Unlike knotweed and Himalayan blackberry, they seem to show up everywhere in the park. That is especially true of holly. New plants are sprouting in areas that were last disturbed 100 years ago. Holly is a nasty invasive; I saw it choking out all the native understorey. Ivy has done likewise.
I admire the diversity of plants and fauna that make up the native understorey in Pacific Spirit Park, and feel it is worth preserving. That was my major motive for removing holly and ivy. It is also my way of saying thanks to the Musqueam and other first nations that fostered the rich ecosystem.
I worked on a quarter-acre patch of knotweed for three summers, with a team of volunteers. That was in a heavily disturbed area on the east edge of the park. We achieved good results with hand tools and muscle power. We demonstrated that knotweed foliage can be composted and made into a safe material for gardens. We killed knotweed roots by cleaning and drying them.
I agree with Peter that there is no need to use Roundup or other herbicides on knotweed. I have seen that done at the corner of Ocean Beach Esplanade and Harry Road, not sure if it is going to have a longer effect than the manual removal job I worked on.
In my ideal world, glyphosate would not exist.
As to Himalayan blackberry, I have picked several litres of berries in the last week. I welcome it to our neighbourhood, for the food it provides.
Ed Chessor, Gibsons
