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Wild parsnip spreads across Minnesota

2008-08-26 20:55:00
Author: BizWire

Buffalo, MN - Wild parsnip has been a problem in southeastern Minnesota for years, the state Department of Natural Resources says. But Wright County, in central Minnesota, will spend tens of thousands of dollars to fight an infestation of the weed that grew to severe levels this summer.

"It just exploded the past three years here," said Kerry Saxton, office manager of the Wright Soil and Water Conservation District. "This plant just seems to take over the grass lands."

The Star Tribune reported in its Monday editions that Wright County had expected $70,000 in state funding this year to eradicate the weed. But officials say the county will get $20,000 - about a third of the amount that was expected.

Last month, the Wright County Board approved spending another $10,000, but commissioners expect they will spend tens of thousands more to make up for the shortfall from the state.

Wild parsnip stands about 4 feet high with clusters of small yellow flowers up to 6 inches wide when it is flowering, according to botanists. The weed's sap reacts with sunlight to cause skin rashes, blistering and discoloration.

Saxton, who will start a county task force next month to work on containing or eradicating the weed, calls wild parsnip "nasty."

Saxton said that on a tour this summer to get a firsthand look at the plant, he rubbed a pinhead-size drop of the sap on his arm to see what he was dealing with.

"I wanted to see how potent it was," said Saxon, one of several county workers who have been burned by wild parsnip. "I've still got the scar. It's like a second-degree burn."

By following interstate highways and rail lines, the weed has made its way north. In Wright County the infestations are concentrated along Highway 12, Highway 55 and Interstate 94.

"In the past three years it has gone from hardly being noticed to a full-blown invasion," said Brian Sanoski, a conservation worker with the Soil District. He estimates that more than 80 acres of the county are infested with wild parsnip at dozens of sites.

Eradicating the weed has been difficult because it spreads quickly. It was initially believed that heavy grass areas might hold the weed off, but Saxton said that has been proved wrong.

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