Tricia Howe, a volunteer working at the Aug. 19, 2023, \u201cweed smackdown\u201d at Anchorage\u2019s Tikishla Park, pulls another felled European bird cherry tree to put on a pile near the park\u2019s softball field. European bird cherry trees, also known as chokecherry trees, are invasive plants that were once popular ornamentals in Anchorage and elsewhere but have since spread into wooded areas. (Photo by Yereth Rosen\/Alaska Beacon)<\/p>\n
State officials have barred the import, transport and sale of two fast-growing invasive species that were once popular garden ornamentals but have now wreaked havoc on natural vegetation.<\/p>\n
The Alaska Division of Agriculture on Friday said it issued a\u00a0quarantine<\/a>\u00a0for the two species:\u00a0Prunus padus, commonly known as the European bird cherry tree or mayday tree, and\u00a0Prunus virginiana, commonly known as the Canada red or chokecherry tree.<\/p>\n The order went into effect Monday.<\/p>\n In essence, it will extend through the state a ban that was\u00a0imposed in 2017<\/a>\u00a0in Anchorage. The trees have become a particular nuisance in Alaska\u2019s largest city, where they have proliferated in greenbelts and other spaces and crowded out native species like birch and spruce.<\/p>\n State and local officials have been trying to remove these non-native trees, and the new policy should help that effort, said Division of Agriculture Director Bryan Scoresby.<\/p>\n \u201cThis quarantine prohibits the importation, transport, and sale within the state of these two trees and their parts,\u201d Scoresby said in a statement. \u201cMany agencies continue to pursue control measures with the goal of eliminating these invasive trees. With this quarantine, the flow of trees into Alaska will stop, making this goal more attainable.\u201d<\/p>\n The ornamentals quickly spread, displacing native vegetation, impeding animals\u2019 access and upsetting natural food webs, according to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service.<\/p>\n Their berries can be toxic to moose, causing cyanide poisoning that is sometimes fatal.<\/p>\n Along with those problems, the invasives might be spreading disease to other trees, according to the Division of Agriculture. A fungal disease called \u201cBlack Knot\u201d was recently discovered on chokecherry trees on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus, making the invasive trees potential disease spreaders, the division said.<\/p>\n The two tree species are prime targets of annual Anchorage \u201cweed smackdown<\/a>\u201d invasive-removal events. There is also a concerted effort to remove the trees from Fairbanks, including\u00a0on the UAF campus<\/a>, where officials have been methodically replacing them with native trees.<\/p>\n Eradicating the trees might require more than simply cutting them down because new trees can grow out of root systems below stumps, according to the Cooperative Extension Service.<\/p>\n