Stanley Park targets invaders with weekend weed pull

There are 97 invasive species in Vancouver's Stanley Park and the park's ecological society hopes the public can help stop their spread.

Kari Pocock, the stewardship coordinator with the Stanley Park Ecological Society, says a third of the park has been affected by invasive species and with climate change, new species will only continue to thrive.

Invasive species, she explained, are those that are non-native to the region. They often out-compete local plants for nutrients, sunlight, or water and ultimately reduce the overall bio-diversity of the area.

Some invasive species like the non-native English ivy vine can curl up a tree and kill it within 10 years.

One of the most common invasive species in the park is the Himalayan blackberry which Pocock says is dominant all over the Lower Mainland.

"It's delicious," she admitted. "It's not the plant's fault for growing so well.

"But this plant tends to out-compete our native plant species for resources like natural light. It tends to take over really quick when not maintained ... There are very little ecosystem services provided by those species."

The key thing, Pocock says, is to be able to identify invasive plants.

The blackberry bush, for example, looks very similar to the salmonberry bush which is native to the West Coast.

"The more familiar you become with these plants, the easier it is for you to identify them when you're going for a walk in your park or in your backyard even."

On Sunday, the ecological society is inviting volunteers to help with the removal of some of the park's most common invasive species. The event starts at 1 p.m. PT on Third Beach and goes to 4 p.m.

With files from The Early Edition