Mugwort Makes Mayhem At Miller Meadow

HATBORO, PA —The borough is working to remove an invasive species from Miller Meadow and called in a company to spray herbicides despite residents' complaints about the usage of what they worried were harmful chemicals.

Borough officials have announced that the first phase of the project has been completed.

Over the last few years, the borough's Environmental Advisory Council has requested the removal of an invasive plant species, known as Mugwort, from Miller Meadow, officials said.

Mugwort is a plant native to Europe and Eastern Asia and, according to experts, was introduced to North America sometime in the 1600s.

Mugwort spreads aggressively and is known to displace native plants wherever it is present. As a result, it can wreak havoc on natural environments and disrupt ecosystems just as it has within Miller Meadow.

In addition to its negative impact on the environment, Mugwort is extremely difficult to remove.

Because of that, the EAC recommended the borough contract with a qualified expert to execute the removal.

One was Land Stewards, an ecological landscape design company located in Philadelphia.

After receiving the recommendation, borough officials conducted site visits with Land Stewards and another landscape architect to obtain quotes for the Mugwort removal.

"It is important to note that both landscape architect firms recommended the use of herbicides to eradicate the Mugwort due to the size of the area, the number of plants involved, and the size of the plants," officials said. "These quotes and the corresponding scope of work were presented to Borough Council with Land Stewards being the cheaper of the two companies.

After reviewing both proposals, the Borough Council voted unanimously to use Land Stewards.

Land Stewards began removing the Mugwort on July 2. The first phase involved the application of herbicides to the Mugwort that had overrun the majority of the meadow.

After the application, the borough installed a snow fence around the affected area to keep wildlife away from the freshly sprayed plants.

Land Stewards is a highly experienced ecological-based landscape firm that specializes in design, construction, restoration, and management of meadows and open space.

Their firm employs highly qualified landscape architects and licensed herbicide/pesticide applicators.

The borough has received the MS data sheets for the herbicides being used in this project and have made them available for the public to reference. Copies of these data sheets can be reviewed at Borough Hall during business hours.

Once the Mugwort is effectively killed, the Public Works Department will mow the area to remove the dead plants.

The freshly mowed area will then be re-seeded with a native seed mix to restore the natural meadow. This will not only benefit Hatboro’s wildlife and pollinators but will benefit residents by beautifying the area.

"We thank the Hatboro Environmental Advisory Council for their knowledge and expertise in invasive plants and for helping this project come to fruition," borough officials said.

Anyone with questions or concerns should contact Borough Hall at 215-443-9100.