Control of Japanese Knotweed to enhance the natural habitat of Riverside Walks in Gatehouse of Fleet

Gatehouse Development Initiative and Community Council have been tackling the problem of Japanese Knotweed in the town of Gatehouse of Fleet and surrounding area since 2005. They have worked closely with the National Scenic Areas (NSA) Officer as the removal of invasive species such as Japanese Knotweed is a key management objective in the Fleet Valley NSA Management Plan. The spraying of the Japanese Knotweed has been successful to date and only small stands of the plant remain, however these are still very persistant and monitoing of all areas orginally treated is still being undertaken to prevent any re-establishment of the plant. GDI have instructed a contractor to undertake the first spray (by knapsack) in 2013 but are looking to make the project sustainable in the longer term.