Invasive Plants are plants that are not native(are alien) to an area, and which have negative ecological, social and economic impacts. Because they were introduced without the insect predators and plant pathogens that keep them in check in their native habitats, their aggressive growth can make them highly destructive, competitive and difficult to control.The goal of invasive plant programs is to stop the introduction of new invasive alien plants into British Columbia and our region, to contain the spread of those already here and to reduce the impact of well-established invasive plants.
Noxious weeds are those invasive alien plant species that are regulated under the British Columbia Weed Control Act, which imposes a duty on all land occupiers to control designated noxious plants.
The Northwest Invasive Plant Council (NWIPC) is currently targeting 60 invasive plants for management, as per the NWIPC Target Plant List. The list of species is reviewed, updated and approved every by the membership at the annual general meeting. On the list, each plant is rated by the NWIPC as to its potential invasiveness, and corresponding management at the site level is recommended. The strategy for determining which plants to target is based on a number of factors, such as whether or not they are already present in the region, their habitat range and aggressiveness, as well as current scientific advice.
