Bamboo invasions prompt bans, crackdowns

OHIO’S TOP 10 INVASIVE PLANTS

Ten of the most invasive non-native plant species in Ohio. Officials warn residents to be aware that management of these invasive species is difficult and complex. Residents are encouraged to obtain more information before using controls such as herbicides.

Source: Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Bamboo, a popular ornamental grass widely available at local nurseries, is also an invasive plant that can turn neighbor against neighbor and is prompting local governments from Lebanon to Long Island to enact bans to prevent its spread.

Infestations of invasive plants and can negatively affect property values, agricultural productivity, public utility operations, outdoor recreation, and the overall health of an ecosystem, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

The organization estimates it spends tens of millions of dollars each year on invasive species prevention, early detection and rapid response, control and management, research, outreach and habitat restoration across the country.

Federal and state agencies are researching specific problems associated with controlling the spread of bamboo and other invasive varieties of honeysuckle, mustard, grass and other plants.

So far the jury is still out on bamboo in Ohio.

"We are hopeful that as more scientists become aware of bamboo, there will be more published in the literature and we can complete our assessment," Theresa Culley, chair of the Ohio Invasive Plants Council Assessment Team, said in an email.

On the other side of the debate are people like Zach Burton who raises bamboo on a 100-acre farm in Warren County and advises customers on how to keep it in check.

“People who say,’Don’t plant bamboo. It’s going to take over’ are just not very educated on the plant,” he said last week during a tour of Burton’s Bamboo Garden.

Government responses to bamboo, invasive plants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Invasive Species Information Center funds millions of dollars a year in research on the impact of invasive plants, animals and other species.

The center includes descriptions of several varieties of bamboo, introduced in the U.S. in 1800s, on sections of its website devoted to invasive plants.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources lists 10 invasive plants, not including bamboo. And the Ohio Department of Agriculture is developing rules for identifying invasive plants based on the passage of Senate Bill 192 about a year ago.

Lebanon recently joined a growing list of communities also including Worthington, a Columbus suburb, who passed local ordinances designed to help residents who find someone else’s bamboo on their property.

“The growth of the bamboo may cause serious damage to structures and plant materials located in the path of the underground root system. Property owners adjacent to parcels containing running bamboo cite difficulty and expense in attempt to keep unwanted running bamboo from extending into their yards and spreading,” according to information on the city of Worthington’s website about its law, which has been in effect since July 8.

Officials in Lebanon and other communities in the Miami Valley left bamboo out of the language in noxious weed ordinances used to battle the spread of bamboo and other problem plants.

The amendment to Lebanon’s property maintenance code bars “any plant species that encroaches or invades a neighboring property or public right of way.”

The ordinance, passed last month by the city council, was the result of advocacy by Lebanon Councilwoman Wendy Monroe.

“Unfortunately, I think there was a need for an ordinance like this,” Monroe said.

A survey of other communities in the Miami Valley found a range of responses to concerns about invasive species.

Miamisburg deals with "encroaching weeds" like bamboo much as Lebanon, warning the offenders and giving them a chance to remove them. Failure to remove the plants will prompt city action billed to the offender.

“If they do not pay the bill, we can assess the cost to their property taxes. This is a fairly common practice in other cities,” Chris Fine, development director in Miamisburg, said in an email.

Honeysuckle is a bigger problem in Miamisburg than bamboo, Fine added.

In Oakwood, violators are charged with minor misdemeanors. They are typically ordered to pay $110 in clean-up costs and $115 in court costs, according to Assistant City Manager Jay Weiskircher.

Like other cities in the area, Mason deals with invasive plants through its noxious weed regulations, according to City Manager Eric Hansen.

“We also try to identify invasive plants and shrubs during the planning review process and keep them clear from city-owned properties,” Hansen added in an email.

In Troy in Miami County, Jerry Drake, superintendent of parks and city forester, identifies invasive plants and noxious weeds and notifies zoning officials who contact the owner and hire a contractor, if necessary.

But in West Chester, a populous township in Butler County, there are no rules noxious or invasive plants.

“There have not been any discussions on this topic,” Barbara Wilson, the townships director of integrated multimedia & marketing said in an email.

Rallying behind rizomes

Still bamboo has supporters, including Burton, who also grows it for zoos to use to feed pandas.

“There’s a lot of myth out there,” Burton said.

Before planting any of about 1,200 varieties of bamboo, Burton advises gardeners to bury a polypropylene barrier 22 inches into the ground, with a three inch lip above ground to form an enclosure.

“All of them can be contained very simply.” he said.

The running roots, known as rizomes, turn back upon contacting the barrier.

“If it’s done right, it’ll work,” he said standing in front of a grove planted 20 years ago. “It will never go past it.”

Once bamboo has taken hold, Burton said it can be killed off by covering to keep out sun or through mowing. Paths or clearings can be cut and maintained, according to Burton.

“Bamboo comes up 80 percent water. Very fragile. You can cut it down. You can kick it down,” he said. “It goes where you allow it.”

Bamboo battles

Darryl Blair is waiting for the first spring rains to reveal the extent to which bamboo from a neighbor’s yard has continued to encroach on his property on Deerfield Road in Lebanon.

“It just grows and grows and grows,” said Blair during a tour of his yard. In one place, sprouts have wedged themselves into Blair’s foundation.

“I would be very concerned if one of my neighbors planted bamboo,” Monroe said.

Blair appealed to Monroe for help while shopping at her gun shop in downtown Lebanon, 22three Firearms Outfitters.

“I tried to get some help from a neighbor. They didn’t want to do anything about it,” he said.

Lebanon Councilman Steve Kaiser cast the only vote against the encroachment amendment.

“That’s a civil matter to be regulated in a civil court,” he said before the vote. “It’s not the city’s place to get in there and make restitution on this.”

On similar grounds, a ban proposed in Mount Vernon, Ohio, in October was withdrawn from consideration by the local council.

But bans are in place in Champaign, Ill., and in cities on the East Coast, particularly across Long Island. N.Y.

In Lebanon, city officials opted for an enforcement option rather than an outright ban.

“We feel like this one is going far enough,” Monroe said.