Northern Ontario communites work to contain invasive plant as it spreads
Invasive phragmites plant forms dense patches that outcompete native plants and destroy wildlife habitats
An invasive plant is spreading farther into northern Ontario prompting communities to work on ways to identify and control it before it becomes firmly established.
The Junction Creek Stewardship Committee, a Sudbury-based environmental group, hosted a workshop Wednesday with the not-for-profit company Invasive Phragmites Control Centre to teach people how to identify invasive phragmites and help stop its spread.
Invasive phragmites, also known as common reed, can grow into dense stands that crowd out native plants and disrupt wetland ecosystems.
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"It is making its way up to northern Ontario where even in Sudbury we've seen some pretty significant patches starting to take root," said Jayden McGleish, a field supervisor with the Invasive Phragmites Control Centre.
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The invasive plant can quickly crowd out native plants such as cattails and bulrushes, and thick patches of it can make it difficult for wildlife to navigate, he said.
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"We've seen turtles and frogs really struggle getting through it in the natural ecosystems they live in," McGleish said.
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"We have found a couple of turtles that haven't made it, which is really sad."
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He added that the plant can also affect recreational areas by swallowing up shorelines and preventing access.
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Invasive phragmites can also grow along roads and even through asphalt, costing municipalities when the plant ruins drainage areas and breaks up roads, McGleish said.
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While the plant is much more established in southern Ontario, it's increasingly being found in northern communities including Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins and Thunder Bay.
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Erik Barr, a contract employee with Conservation Sudbury, said Sudbury still has a chance to push the invasive plant back before it grows too far out of control.
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"There's a fair amount of it here, and we're at the point where we're starting to control it," Barr said.
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How to tell invasive phragmites apart
One of the first steps is knowing that not every phragmites plant is invasive, Barr said.
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Northern Ontario also has a native variety of phragmites, which generally grows alongside other plants instead of forming large, dense patches.
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Barr said the invasive variety tends to have wider leaves and thicker stems while the native phragmites plant has a more prominent reddish colour on its stems.
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Another way to tell the difference is to look where the leaf meets the stem.
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The invasive variety has a very thin brown line at that junction, while the line on native phragmites is noticeably thicker, he added.
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Jaclyn Groom, philanthropy coordinator and program support with the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee, said educating the public about the difference between native and invasive phragmites is important for monitoring and mapping the plant.
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She said many of the invasive patches reported in Sudbury are found along roads and railways, where plant material can be transported by vehicles and equipment.
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"In the winter time, snowmobilers are out using the trails and they might drive through a patch of phragmites accidentally and that can spread part of the plant and then that plant material will come back again in the spring," Groom said.
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She added that the plant appears to thrive in the metal-rich soils found around many Sudbury mine sites and tailings areas.
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Some invasive phragmites plants have also spread from Copper Cliff Creek, which feeds into Junction Creek.
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“That is a concern that that phragmites patch is going to continue spreading further along down into Junction Creek,” she said.
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Treating invasive phragmites
Chuck Simpson, manual controls manager with the Invasive Phragmites Control Centre, said Sudbury’s situation is not yet as severe as it might initially appear due to the abundance of native phragmites variety.
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“You think it’s bad at first until you know what the difference of the two types of phragmites are, and then you go, ‘OK, it’s not as bad as what you first thought,’” Simpson said.
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The workshop also included a demonstration of how invasive phragmites can be treated.
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At a culvert located outside Ramakko’s sports store in Sudbury, McLeish and Simpson prepared to treat invasive phragmites using backpack sprayers and herbicide.
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Simpson said the treatment can achieve a 95 to 97 per cent kill rate, although some plants may return the following year.
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“With great luck, we won’t have any.
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That would be fantastic,” he said.
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“Within about two to three weeks, you will see the plants starting to die off already."
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