The 2022 Wild Parsnip Program will start on May 24, 2022, weather permitting. The goal is to reduce the growth of wild parsnip in highly infested areas while ensuring that environmentally sensitive areas and public safety are not adversely impacted. In total, Council has approved $298,000 for this year’s strategy.
The 2022 Wild Parsnip Strategy will allow staff to:
• Continue and expand the application of Clearview and Navius FLEX herbicides to highly infested areas;
• Continue mowing operations, adjusting frequency and timing to best coincide with herbicide applications;
• Re-map infestation areas and levels;
• Continue the communication and awareness campaign in collaboration with partners in Ottawa Public Health (OPH), Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), National Capital Commission (NCC), etc;
A full listing of the infestation levels and planned treatment locations on roadsides, is on the map shown below. Staff anticipate wild parsnip spraying in City parklands will begin June 6, 2022, weather permitting. A full list of parkland spray locations will be provided to members of Council closer to that date so that I may share this with residents.
Approximately 935 lane kilometres of roadsides/pathways and over 200 locations of parkland will be treated this year. Roadside grass cutting will begin early June, and additional herbicide application may be considered again for the fall season.
To notify the public of the herbicide application, a Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) approved “Notice of Herbicide Use” advertisement will appear in local newspapers one week prior to the start of spraying. However, given the large number of public access points for parks, signs will continue to be posted every 100 metres.
Rural residents who do not wish to have the roadside adjacent to their property sprayed will be given the option to opt-out of the Wild Parsnip Program. Should a resident opt-out of the program, it will become their responsibility to manage any wild parsnip infestation adjacent to their property, as required by the Weed Control Act, 1990. Information has been shared on how to opt-out as part of the communications to residents on our website and in print materials.
For additional information on wild parsnip, please consult the City of Ottawa’s website.
