Ottawa to begin spraying and mowing wild parsnip next week
![Wild parsnip burns ‘You don’t want this’ Wild parsnip burns ‘You don’t want this’](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2021/7/28/wild-parsnip-burns-you-dont-want-this-1-5526985-1627512409551.jpg)
The City of Ottawa will spend $298,000 this year to deal with wild parsnip in parks and along roadsides and pathways across the city.
Starting next week, the city will begin spraying and mowing areas along 1,200 kilometres of roadsides and pathways and at more than 200 park locations to reduce the growth of wild parsnip in highly infested areas.
Wild parsnip is an invasive plant that can cause skin and eye irritation and make the skin prone to burning and blistering.
"We heard from residents and Councillors that additional treatment was required and have significantly increased the number of lane kilometres to be treated this year within existing budgets," Alain Gonthier, general manager of Public Works, said in a memo to council.
"Public Works will continue to assess the required resources and budget for spraying operations in future years. Roadside grass cutting will begin early June, and additional herbicide application may be considered again for the fall season."
The city is expanding treatment for wild parsnip from 650 kilometres in 2023 to 1,200 kilometres of roadsides and pathways this year.
Staff will begin treating roadsides the week of May 27, with wild parsnip spraying in parks to begin on June 3, weather permitting.
The 2024 strategy will see the city continue and expand the application of Clearview and Navius FLEX herbicides in highly infected areas.
Rural property owners can ask the city not to spray the areas adjacent to their property.
Wild parsnip has been identified as a noxious weed in Ontario since 2015.
The City of Ottawa released a map showing where it will spray and mow for wild parsnip in 2024. (City of Ottawa/release)
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
What is wild parsnip?
Wild parsnip is a highly branched plant, with hollow green stems, according to the city of Ottawa's website.
"It has two growth stages: non-flowering leafy rosettes at ground level and 0.5 to 1.5 metre-tall flowering plants."
Here are the stages of growth:
Early growth: In the first year of growth, low-growing non-flowering rosettes of leaves form with a cluster of spindly, compound leaves that resemble celery leaves.
In bloom: When wild parsnip is in bloom, usually in the second and third-year plants have tall, branched yellow flowering stalks that usually bloom in early June to late July.
Mature plant: Starting in August the blooming plant will begin to turn brown and the leaves and stems will begin to dry up. This means that the toxic sap from the plant will also begin to dry up, and contact with the plant is less likely to cause a reaction.
Avoiding wild parsnip
The city of Ottawa offers the following tips to avoid wild parsnip on pathways and in parks:
- Stay on the groomed areas of parks, roadsides and pathways where there are less instances of wild parsnip.
- When working around wild parsnip or when walking through dense vegetation, wear goggles, gloves, long pants and long-sleeved shirts.
- Children should be reminded not to pick wild flowers
- If you are exposed to the plant sap, wash the contaminated area(s) thoroughly as soon as possible, and seek medical attention if skin irritation occurs
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6928617.1718492429!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
Ottawa Food Bank receives largest donation in its 40-year history
210,000 pounds of food was delivered to the Ottawa Food Bank on Saturday, the largest donation in its 40-year history.
Your father’s diet before you were born could have affected your health, a new study suggests
Your father's diet before you were born could have played a role in your health, a new study has found.
Singh 'more alarmed than before' after reading full foreign interference report
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he is 'even more alarmed than before' after reading the un-redacted report alleging there are MPs and senators who are participating to some degree in foreign interference efforts.
Prince William shares childhood photo of him and King Charles III for Father's Day
Prince William on Sunday shared a photograph showing him as a child with his father, King Charles III, to mark Father’s Day in the United Kingdom this year.
Clooney and Roberts help Biden raise US$30 million-plus at a star-studded Hollywood gala
Some of Hollywood's brightest stars headlined a fundraiser for U.S. President Joe Biden that took in a record US$30 million-plus for a Democratic candidate, according to his campaign, in hopes of energizing would-be supporters for a White House contest they said may rank among the most consequential in U.S. history.
'We're in pretty good shape': Calgary goes low in water consumption after state of local emergency declared
On a day that a local state of emergency was declared in Calgary, city residents answered a request from the mayor and emergency officials to use less water.
Joe Alwyn says breakup with Taylor Swift was 'a hard thing to navigate'
Joe Alwyn is speaking publicly for the first time about the end of his years-long relationship with Taylor Swift.
A new tax filing system could give Canadians more than $1 billion in unclaimed benefits: PBO
Canadians would get more than $1 billion in unclaimed benefits each year through an automatic tax filing system, according to a report published by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO).
No injuries reported after camper engulfed in flames in parking garage: Regina fire
A fire in an underground parking facility in Regina led to no injuries, according to the city's fire department.