In the north east of Scotland on the weekend, our man Dave was out volunteering again at his local country park. The task this time was to clear some Himalayan Balsam. This plant is an invasive, non-native species that has spread like wild fire, forming a thick green carpet that hinders the growth of native saplings.
The only way to deal with this plant is to pull them out by the root before they flower. This labour intensive task is simply too big for one ranger to attempt, given the scale of the task. This is where volunteering is key, local people working for their area can change things.
