1. Plant Profile - Japanese knotweeds (Fallopia japonica)
2. Targeted Grazing
3. Subcommittees
4. IPCBC Update
5. Upcoming Events
6. Notes from the Office
7. Reporting Invasive Plants
8. Disposal Reminder
9. Links

Plant Profile - Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica)
Picture your favourite fishing spot or canoeing river lined for miles with a tangle of rigid, bamboo-like stems ten feet tall. These canes confront you like prison bars, and to get through them you have to use a machete to hack your way to the water’s edge. Once there, you find that the fish have disappeared and that you can’t move up or down the shoreline. You can enter the waterway only where you chopped your way in. Japanese knotweed has entrenched itself along the banks of many BC Coastal streams. Originally from the slopes of Asian volcanoes, Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) has no natural enemies in B.C. The asparagus-like young shoots emerge in early spring on river banks, in empty lots, construction sites and backyards, growing many feet tall throughout the summer.  It grows extremely fast, often crowding out native vegetation and altering the landscape. It spreads mainly through seed dispersal and its extensive root system but new colonies can also sprout from plant fragments as small as 1/2 inch. Dispersal of seeds and fragments can occur along streams, through untreated fill and soil movement, and on people, boats, and cars. Knotweed is found in almost every type of soil, has been seen pushing through pavement, brick walls, bridge foundations and buildings. When the plant is disturbed above-ground, a hormone in the root stimulates the growth of new shoots – up to 60 feet away from the “mother” plant! A new colony of knotweed can establish from a chunk of root or stem the size of your fingernail. Knotweed is ranked among the world’s “100 worst” invasive species. It is a highly aggressive plant that spreads primarily by underground rhizomes (lateral stems), has extremely strong and deep root systems, and displaces native species by forming thickets in moist to wet areas. Contact the CCCIPC for more information or phone 1-888-WEEDSBC to report.  

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Targeted Grazing

 WANTED:  Land owners and managers with livestock! The CCCIPC and the Cariboo Regional District need your help to remove invasive plants from the Cariboo landscape.  Attend our Targeted Grazing Seminar on August 16, 2011 and learn how your animals can control invasive plants.  Dr. Kathy Voth will be teaching us how to teach our animals to target graze invasive plants: more information can be found on her website: Livestock for Landscapes.  If you are interested or would like more information please click here.  Space may be limited so register now!  The workshop is free and includes lunch.  Please fill our a registration form and send it to info@cccipc.ca.

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Subcommittee Highlight
We have a several standing subcommittees/working groups that discuss specific invasive plant topics and pass recommendations on to the board.  Participation with the groups is open to anyone with a vested interest or expertise in each topic.  Committees include, Communication and Education, Regional Strategic Planning, Bella Coola Valley Working Group, and Forestry Best Practices.  Other committees are formed and folded as needed.  If you are interested in being a part of one of the committees, your time and input would be greatly appreciated.  Please contact Trish at info@cccipc.ca if you are interested.  Topics addressed by the subcommittees will be highlighted in the section in future newsletters.

Invasive Plant Council of BC Update
A good news story was release on Friday April 29, 2011 at 2pm in Kamloops where the IPCBC met with Minister Steve Thomson.  With $3 million in funding provided by the Province of British Columbia, the Invasive Plant Council of BC will create a new employment program – called Take Action – that will train and hire up to 150 people to help prevent and reduce the spread of invasive plants around B.C.  With this funding, the Invasive Plant Council of BC will work with the province’s 12 Regional Weed Committees to place local, multi-person Take Action Teams around the province. The teams will be trained to undertake work identified as critical and specific to their local area. The Invasive Plant Council of BC will also partner with the Grasslands Conservation Council of BC to help protect sensitive grassland ecosystems threatened by invasive plants. For more information on the program click here. ppl  For more information on the program click here or visit www.invasiveplantcouncilbc.ca

The Invasive Plant Council of BC is starting to make its transition into an invasive species council.  For more information please read the News Release.  They are also hosting a Strategy Planning Workshop on May 4, 2011.  If you are interested in attending visit www.invasiveplantcouncilbc.ca.

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Upcoming Events

1. BC Naturalists Convention: Williams Lake May 13-15, 2011.  More information  Read the News Article
2. CCCIPC AGM and Field Tour: Alexis Creek, May 31, 2011. More information
3. BC Cattlemen's Association AGM: Prince George, June 9-11, 2011. More information
4. Targeted Grazing Workshop:  August 16, 2011.  Fill out a registration form  and send it in or join the mailing list to stay updated.
5. IPCBC 2011 Research Forum: Richmond, October 2011. Stay tuned for dates and more information.

Notes from the Office
The BC Forage Council has released its position on invasive plants.  Read it here!

One of the CCCIPC's main objective is education.  If you are someone you know could benefit from more information about invasive plants please let us know.  Presentations can be customized to suit different audiences.  Materials, invasive plant samples and a slide show can be provided.  If you would like a presentation for your staff, students or colleagues, please contact Trish at info@cccipc.ca. 

We are working towards updating our website.  Some items include easier access to maps and containment areas, photos, and invasive plant information.  What would you like to see on our website?  Please forward your suggestions to info@cccipc.ca.  We currently have an interim site working as we build the new site.  The interim site contains more information than the orginal site and updated ragularly.  Visit the site at www.cccipc.ca

We are pleased to present the new format of our newsletter.  What would you like to see in the newsletter?  Do you have topic ideas that you would like to see addressed?  Please send your comments and suggestions to info@cccipc.ca.

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Reporting Invasive Plants
The CCCIPC Regional Strategic Plan lists 30 species that are most invasive within our region. These include the following: diffuse knapweed, hoary alyssum, knotweeds, orange hawkweed, purple loosestrife, spotted knapweed. A full list and descriptions are available online at www.cccipc.ca or in one of our Executive Summaries - Cariboo Summary - Central Coast Summary.  Reporting invasive plants is very important as it helps with the management strategy for each species.  There are several ways of reporting listed below.  Please become aware of the invasive species in your area and remember to spread the word, not the weed.

1-800-665-1636 in the Cariboo Regional District
or 1-888-WEEDSBC anywhere in BC

Report Online with Report-A-Weed

Disposal Reminder
When removing invasive plants it is best to do so before they go to flower, or next best, before they go to seed. Remove as much of the root system as possible, but try to minimize soil disturbance.

Best Practice:

• Collect invasive plants in heavy plastic bags, transport dispose of them in the specified bins.

• Collect plants in heavy plastic bags, and dispose in the garbage
• If you live on acreage, bury plants at least 60cm underground where they won't be disturbed for at least 10 years
• Burn in barrels or a closed container, according to bylaws

• Compost – seeds will grow when compost is added to soil
• Burn in open piles – seeds often survive and will sprout
• Transport unbagged - they will blow out
• Place with organic material or wood waste at transfer stations or rural landfills

Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Invasive Plant Committee
Cariboo Regional District Invasive Plant Program
Invasive Plant Coucil of BC
BC Ministry of Agriculture and Land Invasive Plant Program
BC Ministry of Forests Invasive Alien Plant Program
Fraser Basin Council
Weeds BC
Field Guide to Noxious Weeds in BC
Legislative Guidebook to Invasive Plant Management in BC
Northwest Invasive Plant Council
Southern Interior Weed Management Committee
Regional Committee Map

The Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Invasive Plant Committee (CCCIPC) is a multi-stakeholder organization with broad membership open to anyone in the Cariboo-Chilcotin and Central Coast regions with an interest in, or responsibility to, manage invasive plants. Its purposes are to coordinate the invasive plant management efforts of government agencies, individuals, communities and industry sectors in the region, and promote awareness and education about invasive plants.