The Town of Ajax has identified Shoal Point Road as one of the highest priority ranked locations across the entire town in relation to one of Canada’s worst invasive species – the Phragmites population.
Phragmites, a perennial reed grass, originated in Eurasia and is considered one of the worst invasive plants in Canada due to its negative impacts on our wetlands, waterways and natural areas, said a town statement.
It said from 2023, Ajax has received over $15,000 in funding from the Invasive Phragmites Control Fund to complete the Invasive Phragmites Strategic Management Plan, which includes locations of invasive Phragmites across the Town and priority locations for strategic, realistic and effective management.
The project will include using integrated pest management principles that utilize various preventative and non-chemical/chemical pest management strategies to ensure that efforts are effective and successful for 1 – 3 years post-management.
Quick Facts
- Invasive species can consist of plants, animals and micro-organisms. Learn more about invasive species here.
- In 2023, the Town received $8,500 to complete the Invasive Phragmites Strategic Management Plan and in 2024, the Town is receiving $6,900 of new funding to complete the Shoal Point Road project that was identified as a strategic priority within the Plan.
- Priority management locations were identified by organizing the entire Town into a total of 24 sub-catchment areas that were ranked in priority using criteria, such as presence of sensitive vegetation communities, size of Phragmites infestation, adjacent land use, potential pathways of spread, presence of Species at Risk and land ownership.
- This control project focuses on the population of Phragmites located along Shoal Point Road, directly adjacent to Warbler Woods Swamp and Shoal Point Road Marsh, key components of the provincially significant Carruthers Creek Wetland Complex.
- The population of Phragmite has a total area of 0.48 hectares and is entirely terrestrial.
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