In early June, the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission passed an ordinance that aims to control the spread of invasive plants. District 8 Commissioner Carol Myers says the new legislation provides several important updates:
“Initially there wasn’t any definition of invasive species in our codes, so first we had to put that in there.”
The definition comes from the Georgia Invasive Species Council. Commissioner Myers:
“An invasive plant means a plant species that’s not native to our specific geographic area, was introduced by humans intentionally or unintentionally and does or can cause environmental or economic harm to the environment or to humans.”
The new code requires invasive plant owners to prevent the spread of these species onto neighboring properties. The Commission plans to review the effects of this legislation next year.
To find out more about this new code and what it may mean for your yard, listen to Athens News Matters this Saturday at 10 am.
