Action | Promulgate regulations governing the installation of invasive plant species by tradespersons in Virginia |
Stage | NOIRA |
Comment Period | Ended on 12/6/2023 |
Please write the regulations to ensure the greatest likelihood that the customers will read and understand the warnings. This means that the written material should be printed and delivered on a separate document from other materials. It should be in large enough font to be accessible and should clearly and prominently spell out the consequences of planting invasive plants to the local ecosystem, including degradation of habitat and loss of birds and other wildlife. It should explain that people may not notice the problem in their own yards because the seeds and berries are often carried far away into natural areas. It should also explain that planting these plants causes harm to neighboring properties and to future owners of their own properties. It should include photos of plants such as Asian Wisteria strangling and killing trees, Callery Pear displacing natives, and of shorter plants taking over the understory.
It should also spell out who to give the information to if the customer is not the property owner. Many property owners are large commercial entities, so simply mailing them a letter will not be useful. The information needs to go to the decision-makers.
Thank you for working on this!