KEENE VALLEY – An invasive plant program has won an award for its efforts to eradicate Japanese knotweed, an invasive and fast-growing plant.

The Regional Inlet Invasive Plant Program received the Adirondack Conservation Hero award from the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy for its community-based eradication program.

RIIPP has been treating knotweed on private property around the Adirondacks since 2008, working closely with the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program. APIPP treats the plants along highways and on state Forest Preserve lands.

Knotweed can choke waterways and harm native plants and animals, as well as impair recreational access. Knotweed is treated with herbicides that are either sprayed on small plants or injected into the stems of larger plants.

Last year alone, RIIPP treated about 250 sites.

“Japanese knotweed forms dense thickets of thick bamboo-like hollow stems, with mature heights over 10 feet and an extensive network of underground roots,” RIPP said in a press release. “The leaves are somewhat heart-shaped with white lacy flowery clusters that form in August.”

The group warns that knotweed should not be cut down but rather injected with herbicide. The group also said digging the plant up is ill-advised, as small root fragments can form new plants.

There is no cost to land owners for treatment of stands of knotweed, but RIIPP does accent tax-deductible donations. Volunteers are also needed for identification and treatment of the invasive plant.

Contact Elizabeth Mangle at 518-548-3991, hcswcd@frontiernet.net with questions or to volunteer.

You can also learn more about knotweed by visiting www.noknotweed.org.