Blackberry Pickers Alert

The Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council has been undertaking a control program for Japanese Knotweed, in partnership with various landowners including the District of Squamish. In strategic locations where Japanese Knotweed is threatening sensitive habitat or infrastructure, plants are treated with the herbicide glyphosphate, and signage is posted to indicate that the herbicide has been applied.

SSISC trained employees apply the herbicide by stem injection in as many situations as possible. The herbicide is not sprayed indiscriminately in large areas. Every precaution is taken to minimize contamination of surrounding vegetation but it is impossible to completely isolate the target species. As a result some Himalayan Blackberry in the immediate vicinity of the Japanese Knotweed may be affected.

Any affected blackberry plant would be expected to show similar symptoms as the target species – yellowing, curling or withering leaves, leaf loss and eventual browning/drying out of the plant. The herbicide used has low toxicity levels and breaks down very quickly, therefore the risk that berry pickers may have contact is minuscule and almost non-existent. As a precaution, however, people should avoid picking blackberries in areas close to any Japanese Knotweed that appears to have been treated.

Please follow this link for more information, as well as a list of sites that have been treated.

August 22, 2013