HaaRoy wrote in
:

Is there any coordinated plans to eradicate rhodedendrons and japanese
knotweed in the UK?
and who is doing it?
where can one take part ?

National Trust volunteers often have 'rhodie-bashing' sessions where the
plant has become a menace. I've been a few times with the North Devon
group, attacking overgrown parts of the coastline.

I think some of the member groups of the BTCV may also partake, and if they
don't, they will offer hedge-laying, coppicing, fencing or dry stone
walling days which are also vaguely worthy fun.

However, unless followed up by spraying and more bashing, the bashing does
not do a lot of good long-term. Rhodies just keep coming back.

My sister did a study of rhodie regeneration at a local nature reserve for
her Biology A-level - I helped!- and the sheer speed of the comeback is
awesome.

I have a vague feeling that I once did a rhodie bash in an area where there
were lots of deer, and the theory was that they would keep the young shoots
down once the rhodies were reduced to ground level, but I have no idea if
this worked.

Dunno about knotweed.

Victoria