The team at Greentown Environmental, from left, Ken McTaggart, Ciaran Owens, Katie McLaughlin, John Ross Armstrong, James McGrath and Donna Kerr RMG111
FERMANAGH is under attack from a foreign plant that can bring down buildings and only gets stronger when cut.
Commonly found along roadsides and river banks, Japanese Knotweed can cause structural damage to concrete and devalue homes. The invasive species has been in the county for some time, however for many years efforts to tackle the growing problem simply caused the plant to spread even faster and further.
John-Ross Armstrong from Greentown Environmental in Florencecourt, specialists who work with the Roads Service treating the problem, and treats it all over the country from Belfast to Kerry.
He explained how knotweed was introduced to the UK and Ireland in the nineteenth century by plant collectors, and while not harmful in its native environment, because no insects or creatures feed on it here it has grown out of control.
“There’s lot of it in Fermanagh,” he said. “We’ve had about 60 sightings on local road verges. If you leave it alone it will out-compete our own plants, and it has the potential to cut through concrete. It dies away in winter, and returns around April, and it can grow up to three meters in six months, but it’s like an iceberg in that its roots spread even further under the ground. The roots can be seven metres wide and three metres deep.”
Mr Armstrong said if anyone suspected they had knotweed growing on their land, they should contact either Greentown Environmental or the Council.
“The first thing people need to know is don’t cut it!” he warned. “It produces a seed but it won’t germinate if it’s left alone. Cutting or moving it is what spreads it. That’s why its so common along the roads. For years the Roads Service was flailing it, making grow and spread. It won’t get worse if it’s not moved or cut.
“Five years ago the Council was still cutting it, but now there is a government strategy in place and now it’s actually an offence to move or cut it.”
A spokesman for Fermanagh and Omagh District Council said they had a programme in place to deal with the problem, including employee training on identification and suitable treatments for key invasive species such as knotweed, as well Himalayan balsam, giant hogweed, zebra mussel, and pondweeds, which are also common locally.
“Japanese knotweed and other knotweeds are widespread throughout the Fermanagh and Omagh district,” they said. “It’s commonly found along road sides and riverbanks as hedge-cutting and river currents are two common vectors for their spread. It is also sometimes found on vacant land, private gardens and on public ground.”
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council encourages people to report any sightings of invasive species to the Council’s Biodiversity Officer by telephoning 0300 303 1777.
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