Re: 'Broom is here to stay, live with it' (Letters, PQB News, June 11)
Alien invasive species like Scotch broom do not move into a void.
They displace something that was originally present. Broom displaces grasses and native plants – but while grass is food, broom is toxic to grazing animals, wild and domestic. Broom provides flowers for bees in May – but wipes out the native flowers that bees rely on for the rest of the season. Farmers call broom the Scourge of Pastureland – and it affects our food security. Broom competing with young trees on forest land creates millions of dollars in losses to forest companies – and the loss to the future of our forests is beyond measure.
Biodiversity? Researchers designate Scotch broom as THE invasive species doing the greatest harm to species at risk in all of B.C. Broom is the top offender of biodiversity.
Wildfire? Broom’s high oil content, naturally occurring dry branches, and dense growth patterns make broom extremely flammable. FireSmart classifies broom in the highest risk category.
We will never eradicate Scotch broom. That was never the goal.
People new to our area often ask, “What is the fuss about broom?”
They never saw how bad it was. When I started Broombusters in 2006, the broom in Qualicum Beach was so big we had to remove it with chainsaws - and it was everywhere. This is documented. Broom also lined Highway 4, 4A, 19, 19A and all our community side roads. You can still see broom, but there is a fraction of what was here. Now, there is practically no broom in Qualicum Beach, except on the powerlines. Broombusting works!
Where volunteers are cutting broom, broom is disappearing. Where broom is allowed to spread, it spreads like wildfire. The balance of nature is precious and vulnerable. If we let a bully move into our ecosystem, nature and wildlife lose. If that bully happens to be extremely flammable, we are all going to lose.
Joanne Sales,
Executive Director, Broombusters
Qualicum Beach
