"That's the plus side of a plant that propagates vegetatively," she
said; weather conditions could also be a factor.
During GMVS's community service day last week, students and volunteers
focused on the upland areas, doing cutbacks on Fuller Hill Road, Golf
Course Road to the intersection of Inferno Road and most of the
Sugarbush Access Road.
Three locations they returned to show no signs of knotweed. Hemmeter
said they decided to wait on Lincoln Gap Road, because the knotweed is
"almost unmanageable" on the roadsides. The conservation commission is
working on a partnership with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) because of
the road's close proximity to the forest service property.
Because of the way the invasive weed propagates, Hemmeter said that
mowing only spreads the knotweed by dispersing it along roadsides.
Hemmeter said the group "targeted the areas that were manageable."
This year, the knotweed cutbacks weren't bagged, rather they were
wrapped in tarps like tortillas and will be layered to sun-bake on the
town-owned parcel next to the Kingsbury Farm. The area is already
infested with knotweed, so new contamination is not a concern, Hemmeter
said.
Wrapping the invasive weed cuttings instead of bagging is "much quicker
and more efficient," she said. The tarps are reusable.
The Vermont Department of Agriculture stipulates that under the
quarantine rule, the movement of Class B noxious weeds is prohibited
except in cases of cutting, bagging and dumping as a part of the control
process.
In addition, Hemmeter said that the invasive chervil has been found
infesting areas along the side of East Warren Road; knotweed and chervil
can reduce property values on agricultural land throughout the state.
While no cutback days are currently scheduled, there is an "adopt a
knotweed patch" program in development where residents can adopt and
observe a patch of knotweed and help control it. Anyone interested in
adopting patches on West Hill Road or East Warren Road should contact
Hemmeter at
{loadnavigation}
