The Broombusters organization is looking for volunteers to help with the ongoing challenge of dealing with Scotch broom in the Valley.
Joanne Sales, a director of Broombusters, spoke to council in North Cowichan on Feb. 21 to raise awareness of the problems that the invasive species is causing.
She said Scotch broom is a “bad news plant” that will continue to take over great swaths of territory in the Valley each year if left unchecked, crowding out native plants, raising the fire risk, causing people’s allergies to inflame and causing millions of dollars in losses to the province’s timber sales.
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“Broom will continue to take over, so we must stop it while we can,” Sales said.
“It’s still controllable now, but it may not be in 10 years. We need more volunteers and we’d like to hear any ideas from council on how to achieve that.”
Broombusters began in Qualicum Beach in 2006, with the support of the Ministry of Transportation.
The non-profit society supports the efforts of local residents in eradication programs of the pervasive yellow-flowered plant by providing tools, signs, guidance and information.
Local residents began broombusting in Chemainus and Maple Bay in 2014 after a delegation from the organization appeared before council and has achieved some significant successes since then.
But Sales said much work still has to be done.
She said the majority of mature broom plants die when cut in bloom at ground level during the spring and early summer when the plants’ energy is above ground in the flowers, followed by the summer’s dry heat.
“We need to get word out to the public about this ongoing issue,” Sales said.
“We’re hoping that individuals and community groups will cooperate with us to help us deal with this problem.”
For more information, check out www.broombusters.org.