For Immediate Release
March 16, 2016
Contact: Lee Porter
Project Coordinator
Sustainability and Resilience Department
479.575.8272
lporter@fayetteville-ar.gov
City Provides Information about Invasive Plants and Native Alternatives
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Spring weather arrived early this year and planting season is just around the corner. The City of Fayetteville wants to remind residents and businesses to reference the City’s ‘Invasive Species Educational Information’ packet when making choices about what species to plant.
Eighteen invasive species were identified by a group of local stakeholders – including botanists, nursery owners, horticulturists, landscape architects, community members, and City staff. The stakeholder group recognized the need to provide educational materials to the general public and worked with City staff to create an informational packet about how to identify, remove, and replace invasive plants with native or non-invasive equivalents.
On November 3, 2015, City Council adopted Ordinance 5820 amending the Unified Development Code Chapter 177: Landscape Regulations to adopt regulations prohibiting the installation of eighteen invasive plant species in developments that require landscape plan review and approval by the Urban Forestry Division.
Also in November of 2015, Mayor Lioneld Jordan committed to aiding in the effort of restoring habitats for monarch butterflies through the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge with the National Wildlife Federation. Creating a habitat where monarchs will flourish includes planting pollinator species as food; some of the region’s native pollinator species are identified in the Invasive Species Educational Information packet.
The Urban Forestry section of the City’s website contains a downloadable PDF of the Invasive Plant Species Educational Information packet as well as additional planting resources.
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