This article originally provided by The Sunday Gazette-Mail:

November 14, 2004

Green fire: Non-native plants are destructive but unchecked

If a homeowner finds a lit cigarette on the couch, he puts out the fire before the whole couch catches fire and threatens to burn the whole house down. If the homeowner doesn’t notice the problem until it’s too late and the house does catch on fire, someone will call the fire department. They will do what they can to save what’s left of the house and to keep the whole neighborhood from burning down.

If an old campfire is not put out, it may smolder for days before the embers spread to nearby grass or trees. A timely rain may dampen it until just embers remain. As things dry out, the embers become hotter until a breeze can spread them to unburned vegetation.

If weather conditions are less than ideal for a fire, it may burn slowly for several days or weeks. Such a fire will often stop at a road or other obstacle. If not, it will continue until someone discovers the damage it is doing. Some people only care about fire when they realize the threat it poses to their own property.

Highly invasive non-native plants are like these fires. If discovered immediately, they can be easily controlled. If they are not discovered in time, serious damage is done, and it becomes ever more expensive to bring these green fires under control. If houses were allowed to burn unchecked in neighborhoods throughout the state, people would be outraged at their public officials for not taking the necessary actions to protect life and property. So it is ironic that when officials in West Virginia do so very little to put out green fires, very few people even care enough to voice a complaint.

Homebuilders are required to follow reasonable safely precautions to reduce the risk of fire. There are instructions posted in buildings as what to do in case of fire. There are fire departments to put out fires. There is a state fire marshal’s office to investigate fires. People who deliberately set fires are prosecuted.

West Virginia has very little in place to stop green fires. The state has one full-time employee whose duties include education and other tasks to reduce damage. He is supposed to be the lead enforcer of West Virginia’s Noxious Weed Control Law. But this law is so old and out of date, no one ever bothers to try to enforce it. It has been at least 17 years since anyone tried to do anything to enforce this law. So green arsonists are generally free to do as they please in West Virginia.

They can introduce highly invasive non-native plants that cause problems for allergy and asthma sufferers. Green arsonists can introduce non-native plants that poison West Virginia’s native butterflies. They can introduce non-native plants that produce seeds that are poisonous to birds and small children. Green arsonists can introduce plants that cause milk to taste bitter and even become a pinkish color. Green arsonists can introduce non-native weedy grasses that cost a small fortune to get rid of. These are just a few of the ways that green arsonists can cause problems for the rest of us. Why does the state of West Virginia allow green arsonists to play havoc with the environment and with our lives?

Lawrence T. Beckerle is a member of the Board of Trustees for the West Virginia Native Plant Society and Chairman of the West Virginia Chapter of Quail Unlimited. He taught biology, forestry and environmental technology at Glenville State College.