Ballerup Municipality continuously fights the following invasive species, typically during the growing season. Giant hogweed, invasive knotweed, Armenian blackberry, wild parsnip and goldenrod.
Ballerup Municipality does not use pesticides on the municipal areas, cf. The Danish Municipal Council. Town Plan 2013-2025 and Green Plan 2009. This means that only pesticide-free methods are used.
Ballerup Municipality also coordinates the control of invasive species with neighbouring municipalities along the municipal boundaries, which primarily consist of watercourses.
Giant hogweed: There has been systematic control since 2009, and the sites included in the current tender are areas that have already been controlled, but which need a review and control of new plants every year, to prevent a regrowth of the plant.
The municipal efforts have been well complemented by local citizen groups, so-called Bear Gangs, which voluntarily help fight hogweed. For a number of years, there have been active bear gangs in Måløv Nature Park, Skovlunde Nature Park, Sømoseparken, Østerhøj Nature Park and Egebjerg Nature Park. In addition, several committed individual citizens have actively fought giant hogweed. The municipality always follows up on the affected areas.
Invasive knotweed (Japanese, giant and hybrid): Ballerup Municipality started fighting knotweed in 2010, when one of the municipality's largest populations of 600m2 was milled and controlled by a local citizen group. In the following years, a small control took place on a few populations and in 2019 a systematic knotweed control started throughout the municipality.
In the largest populations, a greater effort has been made, where they were first controlled either by digging or covering with Hortex dew and the subsequent inspections were carried out every 14 days during the growing season by digging or simple updrafting.
In connection with the registration in 2019, smaller occurrences were also found, which are controlled without more effort than exhumation or simple updraft.
Other invasive species: A large area of goldenrod has been controlled in Skovlunde Nature Park, which requires review and control every year.
Wild parsnip has spread so much that it is found all over the country. In Ballerup Municipality, we have therefore selected some "hotspots" where we know there is a greater risk of burns on humans. The hotspots that are continuously fought are institutions, construction playgrounds and playgrounds in natural areas that are combated.
We are conducting an experiment on combating Armenian blackberries in a hedgerow.