Bamboo has become a popular planting choice in recent years; its architectural features are very appealing. Nevertheless, some bamboos can be highly invasive and can impact negatively on the built environment and local habitats. This book outlines the darker side of bamboo's nature and offers practical advice on how to deal with it; it also provides an overview of bamboo history, biology and ecology, and highlights why planting some species of bamboo can be particularly problematic. Useful guidance for householders who have planted, or wish to plant bamboo, is presented, as well as practical advice for those wanting to rid themselves of the plant. Most people who buy and sell bamboo are not aware of how invasive and destructive many bamboos can be. This book seeks to raise the profile of these plants, constructively and helpfully.
Introduction; Overview; Running and clumping bamboos - features of
bamboos, some plants often mistaken for bamboos; Origins, history and uses;
Biology, ecology and dispersal - escape into the wild; Impacts of unmanaged
bamboo growth; Legislation; Four case studies; Common invasive bamboos
currently found in Great Britain and Ireland; Developing a management
strategy - practical advice for managing, controlling or eradicating bamboo:
surveying, integrated management, control and removal methods, revegetation,
containment; Conclusion; Appendices - Herbicide application and equipment;
Tips for identifying bamboo on site; Further reading; List of illustrations
and Tables; Glossary; Index.
Brian Taylor has qualifications in crop protection and amenity horticulture and is a certified surveyor in Japanese knotweed and member of the BASIS Professional Register. He has considerable experience in commercial evaluation of spray techniques and machinery, and is Director of The Knotweed Company where he has developed management programmes for bamboo, knotweeds and other invasive plants. Jim Glaister has worked in the invasive weed industry since 2004 and is southern area manager for The Knotweed Company. Max Wade is Technical Director (Ecology) at AECOM and a former Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield. He was founding Chairman of the PCA's Invasive Weed Control Group, and is President of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management
