DEC CREW BATTLES TOXIC PLANT

The Hogweed Crew made a visit Tuesday to 1422 Gill St., where the team began to get rid of a tall, toxic, white flowering plant taking over the yard.

A few weeks ago, the city Department of Public Works and grounds crews spotted the giant hogweed, an invasive species that looks like Queen Anne's lace on steroids.

City Planner Michael A. Lumbis said that because of the tip from the grounds crew, he contacted horticulture educator Susan J. Gwise of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, who positively identified the plant as giant hogweed. The state Department of Environmental Conservation's Hogweed Crew was called in to get rid of the invasive weed.

"At this point, what we need to do is take off the flower heads so they can't produce any more seeds," said team member Andrew M. Lee. "The important part is to remove the seed heads so the plant can't spread anymore."

The stalks of the plants on Gill Street had reached about 10 feet tall, and the patches spanned the length of the house and into additional shrubbery on the property. Younger stalks were growing alongside the home and in an adjacent lilac bush.

Wind and birds are the most common causes for the spread of the seeds, Mr. Lee said.

DEC botanist Naja Kraus said giant hogweed creates a twofold concern for the public.

"It not only can cause erosion in some places where it grows, but it also is a serious human health hazard," she said.

Giant hogweed is a noxious weed that can cause severe skin irritation. The plant's sap interacts with water and ultraviolet rays to create burning blisters within two days of contact. The plant juices also can cause painless red blotches that develop into discolored scars that may turn into blisters when in contact with sun.

Mrs. Gwise said the reaction to hogweed is more dangerous than the reaction to poison ivy.

"It's 100 times worse," she said. "The plant juices react with water and sun and cause a chemical burn. The lesions will heal eventually, but every time you go back into the sun, they'll blister."

Frances M. Lawlor, DEC's herbicide control supervisor, suited up in protective gear Tuesday while she sprayed pesticides on the plants' leaves. The pesticides will poison the plants, eventually killing them. She said it can take up to three to five years to completely remove the plant from a specific location.

While it's easy to avoid direct contact with the plant by staying away from it, indirect contact might not be as avoidable.

"The bigger problem is cats and dogs that might run through the patches," Mr. Lee said. "They can end up getting sap on their coats, and then when their owners pet them, the sap can transfer to the human."

In 2009, DEC received federal stimulus money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and established the Hogweed Crew. The crew will work to detect, identify and eradicate giant hogweed through 2011, when the funding will expire.

"Between Watertown and Binghamton, there are over 180 sites where we have found the hogweed," Ms. Lawlor said.

There are five confirmed locations of giant hogweed in Jefferson County.

"There are four patches in Sackets Harbor and the one in the city," Mr. Lee said.

To see additional pictures of the weed or for helpful tips on how to identify giant hogweed, go to www.dec.ny.gov/animals/39809.html. To report a sighting of the weed, call DEC at 1 (845) 256-3111.