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For
information
Please email Director
Joanne@glasswing.com
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WHY
CUT SCOTCH BROOM?
"Scotch
Broom invades rangelands, replacing forage plants,
and is a serious competitor to conifer seedlings;
Douglas fir plantation failures in Oregon and Washington
have been credited to infestations of this plant."
Read more from
Ministries of Forests, of Agriculture, Environment,
Parks & others.
HOW
TO CUT SCOTCH BROOM - Please scroll
down page. Also click
here.
We
have stopped cutting broom for the season. The broom
has gone to seed.
However,
if you have broom on your own property that needs
to be cut, you can still cut it, and it will die over
the summer. But do not move the plants and spread
the seeds. Either "Cut and Drop" - let the
broom lie where you cut it; or move it to a place
where there are already alot of broom seeds in the
ground. At the edges of woods, along trails, etc.,
you can Cut and Drop. However, with this very dry
season, because of fire danger, do not make piles
that Mother Nature would not make by herself!
The broom that is still piled at the sides of the
roads will be picked up or chipped up soon by the
Municipality or by the Ministry of Transportation.
If there are piles after July 1, you can contact us.
Until then, please be patient! We have no control
over when these piles are removed. We are grateful
for the generous help of the Ministry of Transportation
and Qualicum Beach and Parksville!
Thanks to all the volunteers! Good work this year.
Check
back soon for photos and details of this past year's
successes.
Please email Joanne Sales if you want to be on the
Broombusters Email list for information about cutting
broom - starting in March 2010. joanne@glasswing.com
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Listen
to Broombusters Radio Spots
30 sec radio
spot: An interview with Captain Walter
Grant who brought 3 Broom Seeds to Vancouver Island
in 1850
10 Second
Spot: Captain Walter Grant
10
Second Spot:
The Captain with guest appearance - and sombody.
Maybe a mermaid.
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What
can you do? Cut broom whenever you can,
or join community cuts. You can also help with organization
and publicity, make a donation to fund Broombusters. We
have tools for each community which you can borrow to cut
broom anywhere. Everyone is appreciated!
If you would like to help, please get in touch with us!
It's fun - and very important. Where would
you like to cut broom? How can we help you? Is your community
cutting broom? It's not hard to get started. Contact Broombusters:
joanne@glasswing.com.
250-752-4816
| Broombusters
is a very fun, dynamic, informal grassroots movement
inspiring individuals and communities to control the
spread of Scotch broom, and to reclaim and proclaim
"Broom Free" Areas. Volunteers from all over
are cutting broom. Broombusters lets you know of these
volunteer movements. There is
plentyof broom to go around! |
KSS Volunteers
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Volunteers from Germany & Japan!
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A cheerful broom buster in Sooke! |
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Springwood Middle
School Parksville
Dominic Rogers - Errington
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HOW
TO CUT BROOM IN BLOOM:
It's easy. Use loppers or a pruning saw.
When
broom is in bloom (or just before) cut broom down to or
below the ground level.
Again!! Cut at ground level. If the broom is so large that
you cannot cut it at ground level, cut off all the managable
branches that you can cut with your tool (loppers or saw.)
Large broom plants will still die.
Why does this work? The plant has just put all of its energy
into producing flowers. If cut while in bloom, the plant
will be exposed to summer’s dry heat; the drought-stressed
broom will usually die. If you see the plants resprouting
later, cut again or remove sprouts. Do not pull up large
plants or disturb soil when soil is dry, as that encourages
the sprouting of new seeds.
• If you have to make a choice, go after single plants
& small infestation to prevent its spread.
• If the broom is small and not blooming, you can
pull it out, or return and cut it next year when it blooms.
MOST IMPORTANT:
• Don't let the broom make more seed! Cut off all
the yellow flowers. Then you can cut it later when you have
more time.
• Don't spread the seeds. Once the small green seed
pods have appeared, the seed pods will ripen even after
the branch is cut. So if there are seeds, do not move the
plants, as the movement could spread the seeds. You can
cut the broom and let it lie in many areas, or throw a few
broom off into the brush. Or pile on top of itself to burn
in the proper season.
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| What
can we do about Scotch Broom? |
| WHAT
CAN YOU DO? Cut Broom in Bloom (April-Early June)
Cut before the flowers turn into seeds.
Important: Cut all the way to the ground, or just
below the ground. Pull out young ones.
• ELIMINATE NEW INFESTATIONS. When you see
a light / new infestation of scotch broom, along the highway, paths
& fields, take the time to cut it down. At least cut down the
flowering branches. Aim to eliminate the spread. This is a "first
aid" strategy, but it is the most important place to start.
• CUT DOWN ALL YELLOW FLOWERS so that they
can not turn into seeds. Each scotch broom plant can produce 2,000
to 3,500 seed pods - which burst open in July & August, shooting
seeds into adjacent soil. If you cut the flowers while in bloom
- no seeds!
•
Talk to neighbors and representatives. No one can solve
this problem alone. Make an effort to make your road or neighborhood
broom free. IT CAN BE DONE!
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Recommendations
from the BC Ministry of Environment, Lands
and Parks:
“The First step of successful
management will be to prevent the establishment of invasive
species in (new areas.)”
“Scotch broom should be removed in spring before
its seed pods begin to open. Removal at this time will
stop the addition of new seeds to the soil and may have the
advantage of killing drought-stressed plants. Broom cut during
wetter months can survive to resprout next season. If the soil
is moist and stems are small, broom plants can be easily pulled
from the ground by hand. Larger plants should be cut below the
root crown.” |
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The
Broom Life Cycle - Why
April through June is the best time for broom removal and what
to do the rest of the year.
To stop
the spread of an invasive species, we need to understand its life
cycle. The roots of the broom plant are weakest when it is flowering
- so that is when we want to cut it down. If we
wait, and cut the broom after the seed pods are brown and mature,
the seed pods will explode and spread all over (July - August.)
Spreading the seeds will only worsen the problem. Immature seed
pods can ripen on a broom plant even after the plant has been cut.
Therefore, broom removal is recommended in April, May and early
June - when the flowers are in full bloom, and before the seed pods
have begun to form. The plants are also easy to see and identify
at that time. At that time, it is also harmless to chip the plants
- the ideal way to get rid of Scotch broom.
If you want to cut broom after seed pods are formed or forming,
you can no longer chip the cut plant because of the danger of spreading
the seeds. The best thing to do is to pile it on top of itself in
an already infested area. You can chip it in that infested area.
If that is not possible, you may need to wait until the rainy season
when it is safe to burn the branches. The infested area will need
to be monitored for new plants. Replant! Broom will not grow in
complete shade. As long as you alway cut yellow blooming broom each
year, eventually you will get rid of it. Stay with it!
If cut during wet seasons (Dec -
April), respouting is likely. However in the wet season,
you can use a woody weed removal tool . How
to Cut Broom. |
Broombusters
Community Action Plan.
Where do you fit in?
• Broom-Walkers. Members
of the 2-hours-a-year broombusting club.
It’s amazing what you can do in two hours. Just go walking
down any road that you love, with loppers in hand. Have fun, and
thank you for participating! Cut your own property, or the road
you live on, or help your neighbors.
• Community Cuts.
Between ~ April 15 and June 8, there will be scheduled
community cuts, from Nanaimo to Port Alberni to Courtenay. Everyone
is welcome.
• Road Guardians.
Choose a little piece of a road - and keep it clear of
broom. Everything helps. If lots of people pick up pieces, whole
roads will become clear!
• Rovers.
Broombusting is addictive. It’s easy, fun and the
rewards are immediate. And it’s amazing how much you and
some loppers can do in an hour or two. Huge bushes fall with a
single cut! So, avid Broombusters become Rovers.
•
Broom Brownies.
What a great surprise to drive down a road see that
someone has been cutting broom there- and we'll never know who
it was!
Blessings on the Broom Brownies!
CUT ANYTIME ROADS - There
are some roads in MId-Vancouver Island that will be cleared by
the Ministry of Transportation and/ or local towns. Please notify
Broombusters before you begin cutting along these roads, so broom
removal can be arranged. Sign the Adopt-a-Hwy insurance form -
and have fun! Make large piles - not on the shoulder or road -
but as close as possible. If you do not live in the RDN, you will
need to arrange with your RDN , town, or Ministry of Transportation
representative for pick up. Email us - perhaps we can help you.
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Scotch
Broom costs Oregon $47 million or more
“Some people may look at the golden hillsides resulting
from Scotch broom and think it’s a pretty wildflower that
belongs here. That’s the farthest thing from the truth.
Scotch broom costs the state of Oregon about $47 million each
year by its impact on natural resources, particularly on timber
production.” Oregon Dept of Agriculture
In
July 2008, Broombusters became a non-profit society. We are now
officially Broombusters Invasive Plant Society.
That means you can become an "offical" member. We hope
you will.
Broombusters Logo by George
Harm.
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