Conservation Commission backs emergency herbicide plan for rail trail invasive species

SUDBURY -- July 29, 2024, Sudbury commission backs emergency herbicide blitz on Bruce Freeman Rail Trail after Japanese hops infestation. Conservation staff confirmed last week that Japanese hops, an aggressive wind-dispersed annual not previously documented in town, has colonized the loamed shoulders along nearly the entire newly built corridor, with the densest growth between the southern trailhead and Morse Road. Keith Gazelle of Solitude Lake Management told the commission Monday that crews would begin broadcast spraying of triclopyr the next morning, supplemented by backpack spot treatment and hand-pulling near plantings, with the work estimated at two to three days. Beta Group senior project scientist Jonathan Niro acknowledged his weekly stormwater reports had not flagged the plant, which MyPAG classifies only as "likely invasive." MassDOT landscape architect Stephanie Smoot said the agency has no method of pre-screening loam for invasive seed. Chair David Henkels said he was "disappointed on multiple fronts" and demanded disposal documentation. The commission separately renewed a five-year, $150-per-acre agricultural license with Cavicchio Greenhouses for 14 acres at Lincoln Meadows South.