Burnaby council has approved plans to control the city's knotweed problem with an herbicide stem injection trial.
Knotweed is considered the fifth most abundant invasive plant species in Burnaby out of 15 that were surveyed in 2009, according to a report from the director of parks, recreation and cultural services, Dave Ellenwood.
In 2009, it was found in 69 of Burnaby's 147 parks and covered 6.71 hectares of park space, the report added.
Manual control of the knotweed plants in 2010 resulted in larger infestations, so the city has decided to conduct an herbicide injection trial, using glyphosate - the primary ingredient in RoundUp - and injecting it directly into the plant stems.
The trial will take place at a patch in Taylor Park, a patch in Fraser Foreshore Park, and a patch in the Burnaby Mountain conservation area.
There will be a follow-up treatment three to four weeks after the initial treatment, and the injections will be repeated again in early fall, according to the report.
If the trial is successful, city staff will seek approval for trial injections at other parks, the report added.
