Despite difficult spraying conditions, our contractors have been working hard to complete the Giant Hogweed control across Ayrshire.
The Annick and Irvine are now virtually complete as are the Coastal Burns. The lower River Ayr below Stair Bridge is also finished but upstream has yet to be completed.
All these burns and rivers will be revisited by the contractors and ART staff to ensure that all flowering plants have been treated. It is an impossible task to get them all first time around due to the scale of the problem but early indications suggest that the contractors have been highly effective. Once the second visit is complete there should be no flowering plants remaining in any of the target areas.
As a back up strategy, ART trained (and will continue to do so) 9 volunteers this year to the necessary standard and they will remain vigilant for rogue plants if they arise.
Anyone seeing flowering plants that appear to have been missed, please don’t delay in getting in touch with the Trust as will will co-ordinate a resonse asap. Juvenile plants are not an urgent issue as these will be treated next year.