Suffolk County, N.Y., enacts invasive plant law in June

In June, the Suffolk County Legislature passed resolution No.1144 (Invasive Plant Legislation).

Most of the plants on the law’s “Do Not Sell” list are aquatics or not commercially valuable, said Mark Bridgen, professor and director of the Cornell University Long Island Horticultural Research & Extension Center in Riverhead, N.Y. There are a few plants, including purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) and some honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.), that Long Island growers will need to remove from their inventories, he said. The law forbids the sale, propagation and introduction of these plants.

In addition, the law created a Suffolk County Water and Land Invasives Advisory Board. Bridgen said one of the nine board members will be a representative chosen by the Long Island Nursery and Landscape Association and another will be a representative of the Long Island Farm Bureau. Suffolk County is the largest producer of horticultural commodities in New York.

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For more: Mark Bridgen, Cornell University, Long Island Horticultural Research & Extension Center, (631) 727-3595; mpb27@cornell.edu; www.co.suffolk.ny.us/legis/resos2007/i1144-07.htm.