The Town of The Blue Mountains is providing this advance notice to rural residents to advise that the annual noxious weed control program to manage Wild Chervil will be continuing for 2022. Under the Weed Control Act, the Town is required to control Wild Chervil. The pesticide application will be conducted by a licensed technician and only applied to roadside areas that appear visually unkept and where there is evidence of Wild Chervil.
The spraying will occur over four consecutive days, between the middle of May to June, depending upon the weather, and the Town will issue a formal notice on the newsroom of the Town website before the spraying starts. A spraying map has been created to help identify the approximate locations where the pesticide will be sprayed. In addition, a list of frequently asked questions has been posted to the Invasive Species page on the Town website.
To opt-out of pesticide spraying on the road allowance fronting a property, residents should contact the Town’s Operations Department to request a ‘Do Not Spray’ sign. The signs will be available for pick up between Tuesday, April 19, 2022 and Friday, May 6, 2022. The signs can be installed on the road allowance at the limits of the property’s frontage. If you have questions about this process or would like to request a sign, please email the Operations Department or call 519-599-3131 ext. 259. Regardless of posted signs, unmaintained sections of the Town road allowance will still be sprayed if there is evidence of Wild Chervil.
It is important to note that the Town of The Blue Mountains will only be spraying rural roads that are within the jurisdiction of the Town of Blue Mountains. All County roads are within the jurisdiction of Grey County, which administers its own noxious weed control program. For information, please visit the Grey County website.
What is Wild Chervil?
Wild chervil is a herbaceous biennial or short-lived perennial from the parsley family, introduced to North America from Europe. It was first brought to North America as part of European wildflower seed mix used for plantings along hedgerows and meadows.
This species is short-lived, forming a rosette of only leaves in the first year, then flowering and producing seeds in the second year. As a heavy seed producer, it is easily spread to new locations. Wild chervil has few checks on its population in North America and can quickly take over an area, displacing native species and forming dense stands that are difficult to control.
What Chemical is Being Sprayed?
The licensed contractor will be using Truvist Herbicide, which contains the active ingredients, Chlorsulfuron and Aminocyclopyrachlor. PCP Registration Number 30920 in combination with Hasten NT Spray Adjuvant, which contains active ingredients Methyl and ethyl oleate (esterified vegetable oil). PCP Registration Number 28277 under the Pest Control Products Act. Truvist is an approved herbicide shown to be effective in controlling Wild Chervil along the Town road allowance.
Shared Stewardship
Wild Chervil is detrimental to agricultural lands. The Town encourages all property owners and residents to actively identify and eliminate Wild Chervil on their own properties in fields, lawns and gardens to help reduce the spread of this noxious weed. To assist with identification and elimination options, please visit the Invasive Species page on the Town website. Additional Information on Wild Chervil can be found by visiting the Ontario Invading Species Awareness Program website.
It is also important to understand that Wild chervil can be confused with Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota). Wild chervil usually flowers in mid-to-late spring; Queen Anne’s lace flowers later in the season. However, the leaves of wild chervil are more distinctively fernlike in shape. The umbels of Queen Anne’s lace have bracts below them, while the umbels of wild chervil do not have bracts.
For more information, please contact:
Operations Department
519-599-3131 ext. 259