CIRB Conference

Last week we went along to the CIRB End of Project Conference in Stranraer. The CIRB project (Controlling Priority Invasive Non-native Riparian Plants and Restoring Native Biodiversity) was a 4-year project aimed at controlling four invasive riparian plant species in the Island of Ireland and Scotland; Giant Hogweed, Japanese Knotweed, Himalayan Balsam and Rhododendron. The conference gave a platform for those involved in CIRB (including Queen’s Univeristy Belfast, RAFTS, CABI, Ayrshire Rivers Trust, Tweed Forum, Galloway Fisheries Trust, River Forth Fisheries Trust and Argyll Fisheries Trust) to present their results, pass on best practice and discuss the future of INNS plant control. On Wednesday morning we went on a field trip to the Luce to an area that had been cleared of Japanese Knotweed by the Galloway Fisheries Trust. Although no growth was visible above ground the roots could be felt and seen in some places so the Trust is awaiting results from QUB to determine if the plant is truly dead, the take-home message being that while it is possible to effectively control INNS, full eradication may be more challenging. The meeting was very informative and certainly gave us food for thought about treatment methods for INNS control in the Clyde catchment.