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Chicago Battles Invasive Plants07-24-09 | News

Chicago Battles Invasive Plants

Information on the banned and discouraged plants, such as the wild chervil seen here, as well as a list of non-invasive alternatives, can be found at cityofchicago.org/invasivespecies.

The American Society of Landscape Architects will soon be making their way to Chicago for the 2009 show. However, there are several plants that they will not see in the Windy City?EUR??,,????'?????<

The more prevalent of these banned plants include chocolate vine (Akebia quinata), wild chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris), Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatas) and privet (Ligustrum spp). Many of these intruder plants were brought over from Europe or Asia to be ornamental plants for landscaping. Unfortunately, they thrived a little too well. ”[Invasive plants] overtake the natural plants because [there is] no competition and the native wildlife is lost,” said Wayne Vanderploeg, the lead forestry ecologist from the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.

Furthermore, once invasive plants have taken over, removing them is difficult, time-consuming and costly. Vanderploeg estimated that it can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 per acre from the start of restoration to the complete eradication of an invasive plant. He added that treatments could make it later uninhabitable for the native plants.

An advisory group spanning a wide range of expertise was enlisted to develop the list of banned plants, said Aaron Durnbaugh, deputy commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Natural Resources and Water Quality Division.

The city also created a list of 43 plants that should be discouraged, but not regulated, either because they are prevalent or already limited by the state.

Source: chicagotribune.com