10 years old! A decade of change in Invasive Weed Control
Our Invasive Weed Control Group (IWCG) is ten years old this week. "Hooray!!" A birthday is a cause for celebration and reflection so let’s see how it all started, how it’s going...and how it may go in the future?!
In the beginning….
..there was a conversation, between somewhat disconnected groups of professionals who needed to solve a problem together. So it was that the PCA and RICS started talking about the difficulties faced by lenders, valuers and property surveyors when it came to Japanese knotweed. A plant which, in 2012, was having a huge impact on the property market. Newspapers were regularly posting stories about un-mortgageable or ‘zero-value’ properties which were infested with this non-native invasive weed. Fast growing and highly resistant to DIY attempts at management, banks and building societies were reluctant to take-on the risks of property damage and diminution partly because there were no recognised standards for Japanese knotweed contractors or the methods being used, less still for the guarantees being issued. Fortunately a solution soon presented itself in the form of an informal group of like-minded, specialist invasive weed contractors, who themselves recognised the need to standardise their approach. But this group needed to be organised; create a framework of standards and qualifications and gain access to third-party insurance to ensure their guarantees were certain to outlast the company that issued them. Step-in the PCA which was already providing all these services to other sectors in the property repair/protection market.
And so it started
Very quickly the pieces of the jigsaw came together. The PCA brought its administrative processes into play, establishing minimum criteria for membership of Invasive Weed Control companies, and a Code of Practice was written so there was a common consensus on methods of control and the basis for establishing when a contract was ‘complete’ (and guarantees could be issued). Add the guarantee insurance protection available from GPI Ltd, and the needs of all stakeholders could be met in one quality-controlled package! All that was needed was some guidance for valuation surveyors and this came in the form of a RICS Information paper ‘IP27/2012’ published and launched as the PCA IWCG itself was created.
So 10 years on, what have we achieved?
Quite a lot is the answer! The practical solution to a long-standing problem with Japanese knotweed management may have been the starting point, but the Invasive Weed Control Group has developed to offer a wider range of services to the sector. We run training courses and examinations both on and off-line, with over 290 qualified CSJK surveyors and counting. Our technical document library includes Guidance on a range of non-native invasive weeds (Giant hogweed, Himalayan balsam, etc.) and a book covering more than 50 other species. Our webinar library is growing with six subjects covered so far creating easily accessible CPD opportunities to a wide audience (all open access). Finally, we have a role to play in stimulating, initiating and communicating scientific research and we are proud to say we will hold our 6th International Invasive Weed Conference later this year.
Are we still relevant?
Time doesn’t stand still so if the market changes will the Invasive Weed Group remain relevant? The RICS Guidance on Japanese knotweed has changed this week so does this change our role? Far from it. Indeed the main message coming from the new Guidance Note is that Japanese knotweed retains its status as a significant material risk to the condition and value of property and that in all circumstances it needs to be reported and acted on (although lenders will have slightly different thresholds for retentions etc.). The PCA have simultaneously published a supporting document setting out for valuation surveyors, key aspects of Japanese knotweed identification, detection and management. RICS also acknowledge that Japanese knotweed is not unique; other well-known invasive species can cause equal or even greater impacts (Giant Hogweed, bamboo etc.). On a broader footing, when we look at the Regulatory landscape in the UK, the IWCG sees an ever-increasing need to manage non-native invasive species in natural habitats too. The PCA has developed guidance on re-vegetation strategies to optimise site recovery and resilience following invasive weed management.
What next?
Some of the PCA’s sector groups are over 50 years old so we know we have a long way to go! We are looking forward to the next 10 years knowing there is still a lot to do. The challenges of non-native weed management in urban and wild places, in residential and commercial settings, are not diminishing and every year new species are identified as new threats to biosecurity on a National-scale. Our members are discovering that ‘running’ bamboo plants, perhaps planted in gardens before the IWCG was formed, are now causing damage to gardens and buildings akin to, possibly worse than, that seen with Japanese knotweed. It seems that non-native invasive weeds are here to stay and so is the PCA’s Invasive Weed Control Group.
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