Ryan Koziatek

I would also agree with cow parsnip. For me the indicators were the color of the stem (not mottled purple), the small size of the leaves, there are less than 50 rays on the primary umbel, the obcordate seed, and that most of the oil tubes on most of the seeds are at around 1/2 the length of the seed rather than >3/4 of the length.

Has anyone heard of knotweed root barrier membranes being used in the United States? Either by contractors or municipalities for large projects. There is a new road going in through an acre lot contaminated with F. japonica in Kalamazoo County and they are interested in mitigating it the best way possible. Thanks!

We have our first potential Chinese yam report in Barry County. While we are in the process of confirming, who out there has a list of treatment options? I'll be searching additionally online, but wanted to reach out to you all to see what is already being done in MI. Thanks!

It looks like pokeweed to me too.

All - A couple of weeks ago, the BCK CISMA area had a hard frost. The species impacted included a mix of inv. spp. and native spp. The following list is what has been observed so far. Invasive Spp. Knotweed spp. Amur cork tree Black locust Oriental bittersweet Tree of heaven Native Spp. Black walnut Staghorn sumac Mulberry Are there any other regions that have had similar impacts? At this point, we are assessing the range of the frost impacts in our area and waiting to see if there are still treatments that can be done this year for knotweed. Some have suggested that for knotweed in particular, we may see lateral growth encouraged due to a top kill effect similar to mowing or a foliar spray of glyphosate. Any thoughts, insights, or experience with similar frost impact conditions?

There is a new case that has challenged the general conclusion of glyphosate being relatively safe. At a fundamental level, this article points out the utmost importance of proper PPE and personal safety when it comes to all aspects of pesticide application to help protect against the unknowns. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/14/business/monsanto-roundup-safety-lawsuit.html?_r=1

Mike: It certainly looks like Japanese knotweed. J. knotweed is a prohibited species in MI. I am waiting to hear back from MDARD about who is the person to contact regarding issues similar to this, but their Customer Service Center is 1-800-292-3939. MDARD is the regulatory agency for prohibited and restricted weeds. From MDARD Website: http://www.michigan.gov/mdard/0,4610,7-125-1569_16993-11250--,00.html "Michigan laws regulate the possession and sale of certain plant species which are considered undesirable from agricultural as well as environmental viewpoints. These unwanted species are listed below according to the applicable laws and regulations." A. Prohibited Plant Species (Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (Act 451 of 1994, as amended) Prohibited species identified under this Act cannot be sold or grown in the state. Any of the following plants, fragments, seeds or a hybrid or genetically engineered variant thereof are specifically prohibited. Cabomba caroliniana - Fanwort Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii - Cylindro Egeria densa - Brazilian elodea, also known as Anacharis Fallopia japonica - Japanese knotweed Heracleum mantegazzianum - Giant Hogweed Hydrilla verticillata - Hydrilla Hydrocharis morsus-ranae - European frogbit Lagarosiphon major - African oxygen weed Myriophyllum aquaticum - Parrot's Feather Nitellopsis obtusa - Starry Stonewort Nymphoides peltata - Yellow Floating Heart Salvinia molesta, auriculata, biloba, or herzogii - Giant Salvinia Trapa natans - Water Chestnut

Recently, the North American Botanic Garden Strategy For Plant Conservation: 2016-2020 was distributed to "plant advocates" throughout countries of the respective international region. http://northamericanplants.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/NAGSPC.pdf The plan encourages botanical gardens and other similar organizations to support the North American Strategy in many ways including: "Promote awareness, adaptation, and mitigation principles regarding climate change and invasive species" The plan references invasive species on pages 11, 18, and 25 - 26. Page 11: B5 - Botanic gardens will increase their roles in the management and control of invasive species and in raising public awareness of invasive species issues. An elaboration on B5 can be found on pages 25-26. It seems that the door for collaboration with botanical gardens is wide open. Anyone know of any current collaborations between CISMAs and botanical gardens?

The BCK CISMA has received inquiries regarding the treatment of oak wilt. The landowner is wondering about BMPs and possible financial assistance for quarantine, removal, or treatment. What are other CISMAs doing in response to this issue?