Halifax’s Point Pleasant Park is a popular greenspace, and Halifax West Community Council has asked for a plan to be developed to help address the issue of the invasive plants that have been found there.
One of these plants is multiflora rose, which originated in Asia and was first brought to the area sometime in the 1700s. According to a spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Municipality, Brenden Elliot, while it may be an aggressive species and can spread rapidly, it is not considered to be noxious as it doesn’t choke out native plants. There are currently several bushes of this rose in the park, but if not addressed, the number could rise sharply and it could become much more difficult to control.
At least three other plants that are considered to be highly invasive have been found in the park. These include Himalayan balsam, Japanese knotweed and Norwegian maple. City staff noted in a recent report that the knotweed has been especially stubborn and difficult to eradicate. Brochure printing can be used in situations like this to produce informational materials that let the public know what they can do to help keep these nonnative plants from becoming a problem.
A request has been made for park officials to develop a plan that will include a strategy for dealing with these weeds, and for the multiflora rose bushes to be removed by this September.
