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ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD
An invasive species that crowds out plants animals such as moose eat has been found growing in the Deh Cho.

Invasive wild caraway, right, can be distinguished from naturally occurring common yarrow, which it resembles, because caraway's white flowers are spaced more widely apart. - photos courtesy of Steve Gooderham

Steve Gooderham, a regional forester and environmental co-ordinator with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, was returning to Fort Simpson on June 30 after taking training in Fort Nelson on invasive plants when he saw a patch of white blooms along the side of Highway 7.

The white flowers belonged to wild caraway, an invasive plant species that is originally from Eurasia. Moose, deer and elk won't eat wild caraway and the plant crowds out other naturally occurring species that the animals do eat, Gooderham said.

The plants had taken over an area of approximately 100 square metres four kilometers north of the Muskeg River. If it hadn't been discovered, the wild caraway could have spread over three to four hectares by next year, Gooderham said.

"It really spreads rapidly," he said.

On July 12, Gooderham returned to the site along with Ken Lambert, a regional environmental protection officer with the department, and Arthur Nande and Donald Lomen, members of a fire crew from Fort Liard.

It took the men approximately 45 minutes to pull all of the plants up by their roots and put them in garbage bags. Gooderham said he'll watch the area next year to make sure no plants escaped.

Wild caraway was originally brought to Canada as a spice crop. The plants found along the highway likely came up from the Dawson Creek or Fort St. John area, Gooderham said. Seeds can get imbedded in the dirt on heavy machinery or other vehicles and later shake loose along roadsides, he said.

Wild caraway can be distinguished from common yarrow – that it closely resembles – which naturally occurs in the territory, because caraway has more widely spaced white flowers. To Gooderham's knowledge, this is the first time an invasive species has been identified and removed in the Deh Cho.

Based on his training, which included invasive plant identification, treatment programs and proper recording, Gooderham said he will be looking more closely for other invasive species in the region.

Based on surveys from 2005 and 2006, there are 106 alien plant species in the territory. They are mostly found in or near communities, near roads and along disturbed areas such as cutlines, pipelines and mine sites.

According to the 2010 NWT State of the Environment Report by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, no known alien species in the territory has a high level of invasiveness, including the ability to invade natural habitats quickly and be hard to eradicate. Some species including sweet white clover, yellow sweet clover and awnless brome are expected to be moderately invasive.

The department has an e-mail address where residents can send information and photos if they think they've found an invasive plant.

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