Invasive vine Oriental bittersweet targeted in pilot project

A pilot project to eradicate theinvasive plant Oriental bittersweet from across Prince Edward Island is being conducted by a research scientist with Agriculture Canada.

AndrewMcKenzie-Gopsillsays they'vebeen working on some management options forthe invasive plantin the Georgetown areabut likely won't see results until next year.

He said the invasive vine has tremendous growth potential.

"It seems we cut it and then a week later it's grown a foot or two. It wraps around other vegetation and strangles them."

'A long-term thing'

The vine's growth can kill trees or haul it down because of the weight of the vine.

McKenzie-Gopsillsaid they are trying to get rid of the plant with mechanical sub-cutting, tarpingthe plant, then cutting it and using herbicides to try and control it.

"We applied half of our treatments in July and we just evaluated them last week for the first time and it looks like we haveone or two of them that seem to be pretty effective," he said.

"But because we're dealing with a tree almost, it's more of a long-term thing so we won't be able to say until the next year whether or not any of our treatments have been that successful."

McKenzie-Gopsillsaid Oriental bittersweet looks a lot like American bittersweet but the placement of the flowers distinguishes the two apart. He added garden centres mistakenly import the wrong one to sell.

Spread by birds

"There is a whole bunch of it in the Georgetown area so likely a garden centre or somebody in that area was selling it."

The research scientist said the seeds for the plant are spread by birds eating the berries that remain on the vine all winter.

McKenzie-Gopsillsaid the plan in future is to tackle other patches ofOriental bittersweet across P.E.I. if their efforts in Georgetown work.

"We hope to develop an effective management plan to give to conservation groups or watershedgroups that will effectively control that thing."

Thejoint project has received funding from the province's Wildlife Conservation Fund, Nature PEI, the Island Nature Trust,and the City of Charlottetown to complete the work.

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