The SDA team environmental day 2024
This year, the SDA team took part in an environmental volunteering day at Morden Hall Park.
We were tasked with tackling an invasive plant species: the Himalayan balsam. The plant is native to the western Himalayas but is now invasive in many parts of continental Europe, where it grows in dense stands and it crowds out many native species.
Himalayan balsam is most prevalent during the summer months and needs removing to stop it spreading. From October onwards, the plants die back leaving the soil exposed to erosion. In Britain, Himalayan balsam is regarded as one of the top-ten most wanted species that have caused significant environmental impact.
Once we had all arrived on site, we picked up our equipment and made our way to the Island. To get to the Island, we needed to change into waders to cross the river, as there were no bridges or alternative access. The island is minimally managed, so we needed to take care of the nettles, brambles and fallen deadwood once on the Island.
We received an explanation about the Himalayan balsam and how to safely remove the invasive plant and we were sent out to spot and remove as many as we could. After a few hours of hard work, it was reassuring to find that the SDA team and national trust team could not spot any further Himalayan balsam plants.
Consultant
Tel: 01372 847592
Email: suzanne.homer@sda-llp.co.uk
Read Suzanne’s biography