English ivy proliferating in Mouat Park is in the sights of islanders concerned about invasive species impact, with a No Ivy League project now underway.
Members of the Native Plant Stewardship Group (NPSG) invite others to come to the park on the last Tuesday and/or the first Saturday of each month to remove ivy.
“This is an ongoing process, but we’ll start slow and easy,” said Anne McKague, an NPSG member and the project’s initiator, who couldn’t help noticing how much ivy was growing in the park when she was walking there.
The first two days saw people participate from about 10 a.m. to noon.
“We can’t hope to eradicate ivy, but we can stop further spreading and we can relieve the poor trees that are currently supporting the ivy intrusion,” said McKague.
People should wear gloves and bring secateurs or pruning saws, if possible, she said.
The removed ivy is being given to island goats, and weavers are welcome to the vines as well. People can contact her about acquiring the culled ivy at anne.mckague@gmail.com.
The NPSG is part of the Transition Salt Spring organization.
Similar ivy “interventions” are occurring up and down the northwest coast, said McKague.
According to invasive.org, English ivy (Hedera helix) is “an aggressive invader that threatens all vegetation levels of forested and open areas, growing along the ground as well as into the forest canopy. Vines climbing up tree trunks spread out and envelop branches and twigs, blocking sunlight from reaching the host tree’s foliage, thereby impeding photosynthesis. An infested tree will exhibit decline for several to many years before it dies. The added weight of vines also makes trees susceptible to blowing over during storms.”