Introducing an Action Plan for Gabriola
GaLTT has just produced a colourful new pamphlet about dealing with invasive plants. Watch for this as an insert in the January 22nd issue of the Sounder! We hope it will help Gabriolans recognise the threat these plants pose to our environment and will motivate everybody to do what they can to help keep them under control.
Though we can learn about invasive species from many sources, this guide focuses specifically on the plants that are a problem for us here on Gabriola, making it handy to keep for reference. It provides information on the harm that invasive plants can cause to our island’s ecosystems and how we can prevent their spread.
Importantly, it places plants in three action categories, based on how widespread they are locally and the threats they pose (links open in a tab, close to return here):
- ERADICATE: priority dangerous invasive plants (giant hogweed, gorse and knotweed), which need to be eliminated completely;
- CONTAIN: problem plants already widespread on Gabriola, such as broom and daphne, which are at risk of spreading further;
- CONTROL: common species, such as Himalayan blackberry, which we need to prevent from taking over parks and conservation areas.

The pamphlet shows how to identify these plants and provides up-to-date advice on removing and disposing of them safely, with additional information available online.

Why is this important? GaLTT’s hard-working volunteers remove huge quantities of invasive plants around the island annually, but they can’t keep this up without more help from the community. GaLTT’s priority is to protect our parks and trails, but these plants often crowd our roadsides too, spreading seed in all directions. So we are encouraging everybody to play a part in preserving Gabriola’s natural biodiversity by helping keep invasive plants under control, starting at the local neighbourhood level.
This may involve checking our own backyards (where most invasives get started), pulling out a few small plants when out walking (before they mature and multiply) or joining with neighbours to tackle a larger patch together. GaLTT will be encouraging islanders to do any or all of those things for Earth Day 2025 – but we don’t need to wait until then to make a start. So let’s see the difference a community effort can make!
