BroomBusters volunteers are starting to prepare for their annual battle against the invasive plant species known as scotch broom. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

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L.A. fires prompt local volunteers to sign up to combat Vancouver Island invasive plant species

Jan 26, 2025 | 5:55 AM

NANAIMO — An annual volunteer-led initiative to clear Vancouver Island of an alien plant species is gearing up for another season.

The non-profit organization BroomBusters Invasive Plant Society has had an influx of new volunteers following the devastating fires recently in Los Angeles, with new concerns centred around the invasive plant species Scotch Broom providing fuel for wildfires.

Executive director Joanne Sales said invasive species, plants or animals, do not have any natural predators which can cause plants like Scotch Broom to spread thick and wide.

“It’s probable that in the L.A. area, that a lot of the brush there is not the Native original plants that were there, so that’s fueling the fires. The same thing happened in Hawaii where the invasive grasses actually fueled the fires.”

She said they normally get around 600 volunteers a year across Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, and a small group on the mainland in the Coquitlam area, with 16 new volunteers already signed up for this year.

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Sales said climate change is also another big factor in the need to properly remove Scotch Broom yearly.

“This is not the kind of weather we used to have, this is not feeling rainforest-like it used to feel. And so when it dries out so much in the summertime…broom will dry up. It looks like a pretty yellow flower but in August and September, it can be just like brown. It’s just so highly flammable.”

When they first started BroomBusters in 2006, Sales said their initial goal was to prevent Scotch Broom from destroying native plant species’ habitat, but concerns about wildfires are now another motivating factor.

She said April is the best time to start removing Scotch Brooms in order to prevent them from going to seed, allowing the summer heat to dry them out before they have a chance to regenerate.

“A single plant can produce 18,000 seeds, which can survive in the soil. They’re viable for 30, 40, 70 years, there’s so many interpretations of what’s possible. As long as we keep those seeds in the shade, as long as they’re underneath grass or underneath some lull or even blackberry, they’re not going to sprout.”

Sales said BroomBusters helps organize and support volunteer groups, teaching them how to properly remove the plants, which are then disposed of by municipalities in a reasonable way.

She said Scotch Broom is also toxic to grazing animals and can prevent the natural blooming cycles of native plants, causing issues for bees and other plant-eaters who may be forced to come closer to humans in order to find food.

“It doesn’t matter how little the amount of broom you have, get rid of it now, because it just gets harder.”

More information on BroomBusters and how to volunteer against the invasive plant species can be found on their website BroomBusters.org.

— with files from Ian Holmes

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