From staff reports
The Cook Forest Conservancy is coordinating efforts to keep the banks of the “Wild & Scenic” Clarion River clear of Japanese Knotweed, an invasive non-native plant.
Japanese Knotweed spreads aggressively, degrades water quality, and provides no benefit to wildlife – while it simultaneously out-competes native plants that would filter water, limit erosion, and provide valuable habitat. It is, however, controllable, if efforts are made before it expands into swaths of monoculture.
MacBeth’s Cabins & Country Store in Cook Forest State Park will host three sessions on controlling Japanese Knotweed for area landowners. An informational and on-boarding session will be held Sunday, May 15.
Landowners can choose whether to loan CFC backpack sprayers for herbicide application on their own property or to contract with knowledgeable licensed vegetation managers.
Treatment of Japanese Knotweed requires several continuous years of treatment and is most effective when neighbors coordinate efforts among contiguous parcels, and with adjacent state-owned properties.
This project is expected to span several years and aims to expand annually until the Clarion River within the Cook Forest area is clear enough of Japanese Knotweed to re-establish native riverbank species.
Financial support for the project is provided by BHE GT&S, which is dedicated to the economic, physical, and social health of the communities served by BHE GT&S companies.
The grant program was administered by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in commitment to its core mission of conserving the state’s diverse ecosystems through science-based strategy, leadership, and collaboration.
Current partner organizations for the project include Penn State Extension, Clarion County Conservation District, the DCNR, Cook Forest State Park, and the state Bureau of Forestry.