When Bethlehem resident Ronald Huber bought his city home, there was no bamboo growing on his property.
Bethlehem City Council is considering banning bamboo, which some like to plant as a privacy barrier but which spreads like wildfire. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)
If there was, he says he would’ve walked away. But a few years ago bamboo on his neighbor’s property began its aggressive creep across the property line.
Huber’s been quoted $850 for initial treatment and then $22,500 to remove his fence, eradicate the bamboo and reinstall the fence, he said.
“It’s been a nightmare for me for the last three, four years,” Huber said.
After hearing similar stories from a handful of residents in recent years, Bethlehem is considering banning residents from growing running bamboo, an invasive species, on their properties.
Homeowners often turn to bamboo to offer a privacy barrier, but its fast growing, indestructible nature can quickly turn it from friend to foe.
Violators would face summary citations, but it would not apply to anyone who already has the plant growing on their property as long as they take steps to contain or remove it.
Tuesday night Bethlehem City Council debated an updated health nuisance ordinance that includes a prohibition on growing running bamboo. Ultimately, council opted send it to committee for further discussion after hearing from residents and the city health bureau.
The proposed change was prompted by ongoing complaints from city residents, whose neighbors’ bamboo plants have spread to their properties causing damage, explained Kristen Wenrich, city health director. The city fields about a half-dozen complaints annually, prompting an internal look at other municipalities’ policies.
“We wanted to be on a more proactive end,” Wenrich said.
The plant, which is on the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ invasive plants list, sends out underground runners that can end up quite far from the parent plant, estimate to grow up to 30 feet in a growing season.
They can cause damage to foundations, buildings, fences and underground infrastructure, Wenrich said.
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It differs from clumping bamboo, which grow in limited climate zones and would still be permitted in Bethlehem.
“If you had bamboo prior to this ordinance, if it is enacted, you could keep your bamboo but certain conditions would need to be met,” Wenrich said.
The city would not be going out and hunting for bamboo growing on properties but would respond to complaints.
The proposal would require bamboo be isolated from other vegetation by a high-density polypropylene or polyethylene barrier, which is secured and joined together with stainless steel clamps or closure strips, and goes at least 30 inches deep. At least 3 inches of barrier must stick up above ground level and it must slant outward from bottom to top.
No part of the plant or its root system can be closer than 20 feet from a property line, utility easement or public right of way.
Resident Sloan Wertman, who has had complaints made to the city about bamboo growing on her property, said she was upset to hear that a memo was sent to council outlining properties in the city with bamboo growing. It seems the city is embarking on a policy that would affect specific property owners, she said.
“I do not believe properties were made aware of this,” Wertman said.
Wenrich said she forwarded a list and photos of properties that the city had fielded complaints about to show council the scope of the problem. She noted without an ordinance on the books the city has been powerless to do anything about the bamboo. It seemed inappropriate to only notify select homeowners, Wenrich said.
“We don’t know every single property in the city that has bamboo growing on them,” she said.
Wertman, the property owner with bamboo growing, urged council to be transparent and offer affected residents due process. She suggested council look at other solutions to dealing with bamboo that are less costly than the proposed barrier.
The treatment outlined in the proposed ordinance comes from the American Bamboo Society, Wenrich said.
Councilman Shawn Martell said he was struggling with the policy because he sees both sides: It is an invasive plant that could spread, but he also worries about the costs associated with containing or eradicating existing bamboo.
“It seems removal is quite difficult as well,” Martell said.
Council Vice President Adam Waldron questioned how bamboo differs from a tree overhanging into a yard and dropping leaves or acorns.
“There are whole neighborhoods that can be impact by one person planting bamboo,” Wenrich said.
Waldron noted he was playing devil’s advocate but also struggling to see the need for this. He suggested referring it to committee for further discussion, which council supported.
Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
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