Will and Brynn the rangers from the Dorset Green Spaces Team, teamed up with rangers from the BCP Stour Valley Barn and volunteers from Rivers for Wimborne this week, to help start the process of removing the invasive Himalayan Balsam plant from the river bank of the Stour along from Dreamboats and past the Brook Road SANG and beyond into the next field, which is all land managed by the Dorset Green Spaces team.
Himalayan Balsam is a non-native, invasive species which is registered under Schedule 9 of the Countryside and Wildlife act 1981 as a species that can cause harm to native British habitats. Removing Himalayan Balsam before it seeds is an ongoing task that, over several years, will help reduce the seed bank of balsam, which will stop the source of seeds entering the river and being carried downstream to establish in another area.
The team achieved a huge amount in a very short time because it is such an easy plant to pull up from its roots. Rivers for Wimborne are very grateful to Will for his superb organisation of the day which included refreshments and to all the volunteers who came along and gave their time to help.
We hope to expand the area for this work next year to include patches of the plant growing along the River Allen through Wimborne and other areas upstream on the Stour.
If anyone would like more information about Rivers for Wimborne and what we trying to do to help protect the Rivers Allen, Stour and Tarrant please get in touch on riversforwimborne@gmail.com or visit www.wildingwimborne.org.uk