COBDEN — Whitewater Region public works committee members have been advised by the county weed inspector that property owners are responsible for killing noxious weeds on their property.
However, if agricultural or horticultural property ia affected, then the county will hire a company, at the landowner’s expense, get rid of them.
Renfrew County weed inspector Jason Davis spoke about the provincial Weed Control Act of Ontario at the meeting. This act is intended to reduce the infestation of noxious weeds that negatively impact on horticultural and agricultural lands, he said, adding, and to reduce health hazards to livestock and agricultural workers caused by poisonous plants.
There are 25 weeds on the noxious weed list and of those, nine are not in Ontario or are just starting to be seen in Ontario, he said. The noxious weeds that have been on the list are: black dog-strangling vine, bull thistle, canada thistle, coltsfoot, common barberry, cypress surge, dodder, European buckthorn, giant hogweed, knapweed, leafy spurge, poison hemlock, poison ivy, ragweed and sow thistle.
There were nine new ones added on Jan. 1 — common crupina, serrated tussock, wild chervil, jointed goatgrass, smooth bedstraw, kudzu, tansy ragwort, wild parsnip and woolly cupgrass.
The kudzu grows 30 centimetres in a day and it overtakes everything, Mr. Davis said. He added that it is now in Leamington, which is in southern Ontario.
Councillor Daryl McLaughlin questioned why wild carrot is not on the list, noting it can take over a whole field.
Councillor Dave Mackay recalled his neighbour being told to cut her weedy field since the weeds in it could affect his farmland and she did it.
Mr. Davis said he enforces the weed act, but does not remove the noxious weeds. If the landowner refuses to have the noxious weeds removed, the county will hire someone to do it at the landowner’s expense.
He said if township employees are concerned about removing the noxious weeds, he can give information on how to deal with it. Noxious weeds can be removed mechanically, such as with a tractor and mower or brush hog and / or hand tools. They can also be removed chemically, but special licences are required, he added.
Giant hogweed, which has been found in Whitewater Region, is very dangerous to humans, as it can cause severe burns, Mr. Davis said.
“You have to treat giant hogweed with caution,” he stressed.
The first time he came in contact with this noxious weed was in a garden in McNab-Braeside. It’s beautiful and ornamental, but when it was cut down, the leaves and seeds were tossed into the roadside ditch and there begins the spread, he explained.
Mayor Hal Johnson said wild parsnip is similar to giant hogweed and it’s quite common around the signs where the township’s summer students cut. The statistics show that up to 30 people a day in Renfrew County are admitted to hospital with burns from wild parsnip, he noted.
Mr. Davis noted there were 30 calls last year regarding giant hogweed, but it was cow parsnip. Both are big plants, close to eight feet tall, but there are very distinct characteristics on giant hogweed.
Coun. Mackay questioned how poison ivy could be controlled along the Coulonge Lake Trail (which is off of Greenway Drive), which is covered in this weed.
Mr. Davis noted spray could be used, but that causes a problem, because there are some people who don’t want spray used.
“As a council, you have to make a decision where and when and if the spray program will be used or not,” he said.
Mayor Johnson noted if the poison ivy is cut, employees are at risk, not only at the time of cutting, but also days later because there could still be residue from the plant on the blades and they must be sharpened, which could cause the residue to come in contact with skin.
If the spray is used, it will be total annihilation of any plants in the area, he added, saying, “Anything green will not be green.”
Mr. Davis said it will be a busy summer for him, because wild parsnip is very popular within Renfrew County and it’s now on the list.
