Have Bamboo? Keep It to Yourself

Utter the word “invasive” and you’ve said a mouthful. Anything invasive is just plain wrong and out of place, imported for no good reason by design or accident, to be dealt with by suffering masses forever.
Florida’s Everglades has been invaded by slithering Burmese pythons reportedly let loose after a hurricane blew to smithereens the place that was harboring them.
Maryland and Virginia have seen a healthy increase of snakehead fish in their waters. A warning was issued in West Virginia not to release that species into the state’s waters because they threaten the aquatic ecosystem. “Introductions of invasive zebra mussels and round gobies have had impacts on sport fishing in Lake Erie, and some species of Asian carp are threatening the Great Lakes as well. Recreational impacts and economic costs associated with invasive species can be substantial if invasive species do become a problem. Control measures usually are very expensive and difficult to implement,” according to West Virginia’s Division of Natural Resources website.
Anyone whose sleep was ever shaken in post-dawn hours by a low-flying plane in early spring has probably already cured the gypsy moth. That nibbling, gnawing creature, which grows big and fat on fresh, green leaves, evolved in Europe and Asia, until in 1868 or 1869. That’s when a chap near Boston, Mass. had the clever notion to make silk using them. Fate intervened, and the little rascals did a Harry Houdini trick and vanished. They crept outside, into the woodlands of the Bay State, and we have been trying to eradicate them by chemical and natural means ever since.
Are you sitting down? Now, just a hoot and holler north of Cape May County, in Linwood, Atlantic County there is an overrun of invasive bamboo. That’s right, bamboo, which you may have growing profusely in your home or office. As Prof. Harold Hill crooned in “The Music Man,” about the presence of a pool hall, that means we’ve “got trouble right here in River City.”
In particular, Assemblyman Vincent Mazzeo (D-2nd) has, according to a release, sponsored a bill “to combat concerns surrounding the uncontrolled growth of bamboo, which can cause severe damage to property and buildings.” His bill, A-3452 targets running bamboo.
Homeowners who have been either blessed or put upon by the demons of bamboo will probably attest to his efforts as being worthwhile.
There is bamboo growing in Court House near the county’s parking lot off East Mechanic Street, and near the bike path by Dias Creek Road. So, friends, it’s here, so we must take note of this most invasive of invasive vegetation.
Mazzeo based his bill on the particular woes of Elaine Walsh of Linwood. The nurse and mother of two lived in Atlantic City prior to Superstorm Sandy, which claimed her home. As a result, she relocated inland, “but soon discovered her property was being overrun by running bamboo from a neighboring yard.
“The invasive plant caused thousands of dollars of damage to Ms. Walsh’s property and threatened the foundation of her home,” Mazzeo stated. “This would give Ms. Walsh and New Jersey residents in similar situations the legal means to recover for damage caused by running bamboo.”
Here’s where it gets nasty. The bill would make it illegal for anyone to plant running bamboo, or allow it to grow on his or her property to let it grow beyond the property’s boundary.
Miscreants who would allow their bamboo to cause damage to a neighbor’s property would be faced with a bill for damages.
Any subsequent purchaser of the land, or anyone who took possession of the property after a foreclosure “would be responsible for ensuring that any running bamboo does not grow beyond the boundaries of the property.”
Freely growing bamboo “can create nightmares for homeowners,” Mazzeo stated.
It would also be unlawful to plant running bamboo within 100 feet of a property line of an abutting property or public right of way unless: it is contained in a properly constructed barrier system that prevents the spread of roots, or is planted above ground in a container or planter. Violators would have a $100 fine.
Sellers or installers of running bamboo would have to provide customers a statement, prepared by N.J. Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers attesting to its fast-growing nature, and that it may spread. Violators of that portion of the bill also face a $100 fine.
Finally, take heed real estate agents: The bill amends Sellers Disclosure Statement that homeowners complete when putting their home for sale to include a question if bamboo is planted on the property.
Beware the curse of running bamboo!