Several municipalities in the Eastern Townships are joining their voices to demand financial assistance to deal with giant hogweed, an invasive plant that can cause burns.
The largest colony of this species was discovered in 2017 in the municipality of Racine, and experts are still unable to control it.
They estimate that approximately one million plants of this invasive alien species are found along Benda Creek.
The municipality of Racine has invested $50,000 in recent years, but it remains extremely difficult to control its spread.
Giant hogweed has the ability to produce up to 20,000 seeds.
The dormant seeds followed the Benda stream for tens of kilometres, which caused the plant to appear in the MRC of Acton.
Other sectors of Estrie are also threatened if continuous awareness is not conducted to identify and quickly eliminate giant hogweed.
Giant hogweed sap can cause severe skin lesions resembling second and third degree burns to those who touch it.
This infestation is therefore no longer just a problem for the biodiversity of the flora, but is also a public health problem.
This is why the Estrie Regional Council for the Environment joins its voice with that of elected officials to request recurring financial assistance programs specific to this problem.
The work is a long-term one in the face of an inevitably extraordinary infestation.