Tackling Himalayan Balsam

This morning I led a work party of local volunteers in tackling Himalayan Balsam, an invasive plant species becoming increasingly common and widespread. This is an annual plant that seeds profusely, with seeds lasting in the soil for a couple of years. The aim is to pull the plant up by the roots before it flowers - this prevents further seeding and should reduce the amount of plants coming up the following year. If an area if tackled for several years in a row it can be cleared of balsam completely. In practice, if the nearby and upstream areas are not also tackled, seeds will just drift downstream and reinfect the area. They can of course also be brought in on people's shoes, etc.

The patch we chose to tackle is not on a stream, so in theory if treated it should stay clear. It is along a footpath that runs between Meanwood Valley woods and a new housing development. Some of the volunteers that came to help me belong to local community groups, whilst others are associated with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

Volunteers with a large plant just coming into flower

The weather was dull and cool, which was a bit of a blessing as we had to be well clothed to get stuck into undergrowth that was quite prickly and nettley.  Himalayan Balsam is best pulled up from the roots to prevent it shooting up again. The plants are then crushed (by stamping/jumping on them) and then piled as discretely as possible where they rot down quite quickly.  Two of us managed to clear an area just the other side of the fence (pictured), which looked hideous to start with but we managed to blitz it. The rest of the group cleared a large area alongside the footpath.

What is left after a balsam bash is usually quite a barren area, which just proves what a problem this plant is - it basically outcompetes our native plants. And while some people like it because 'it's good for the bees', the bees would be just as appreciative of native flowers growing in its place!

I planned a short session of two hours and this was just enough as it is very tiring work. We retreated to the local pub at noon, where the landlord kindly provided us with tea and sandwiches.

Afterwards I had a walk into the woods with one of the volunteers where she showed me an infestation of American Skunk Cabbage, now lacking the distinctive yellow flowers. The huge leaves looked out of place. The photo opposite probably doesn't do it justice - the leaves were 2-3 feet long and this monstrous plant clearly doesn't naturally belong here. Some seed heads were still present though it looked as though someone had tried to remove some others.  I brought a couple home for dissection and to confirm the identification.

There was also a small clump of Japanese Knotweed by the beck. I have written to the Council to see if they are aware of this and have any plans for treatment.

It was a worthwhile session but I can't help think we have made a tiny dent in a massive problem. Still, every little helps. We have another session on Thursday to finish the area around the estate, and then at least we will have cleared one area and helped spread the word amongst the local groups.