Plants that fueled Maui fires present a different danger here

The extent of the damage caused by devasting wildfires on Maui, Hawaii, is still being calculated, but already a contributing factor has come to light: invasive plants.

Non-native grasses that have taken hold on abandoned sugar cane plantations and been allowed to run unfettered across nearly a quarter of Hawaii’s land were tinder that turned a dangerous fire into an inferno.

This should have come as no surprise to officials there, who had been warned after wildfires in 2018 that the grasses were a powder keg for future fires. Little was done to mitigate the problem, however.

It’s not unlike Wisconsin’s invasive plant problem, which threatens to destroy much of what the state is known for: beautiful natural areas, recreational opportunities like hunting, fishing and birdwatching and, by default, an important part of the economy, not to mention private landscapes. It’s unlikely that wildfires will be to blame, although there is at least one invasive grass — Phragmites australis — that could have the same effect as invasive grasses in Hawaii.

Invasive plants are non-native species that cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. They are often introduced with good intention as ornamental plants or by accident through worldwide commerce or other means.

Communities across Wisconsin have taken notice of the problem, and property owners are required by law to destroy all listed noxious weeds on a property before they bloom. These include Canada and bull thistle, purple loosestrife, garlic mustard weeds, creeping jenny and multiflora rose, all of which are regulated by ordinances in Ozaukee County, most of its municipalities and the state.

But much like in Hawaii, these ordinances seem to go mostly unenforced. Take one look at the fields of fluffy headed Canada thistle all over the rural areas of Ozaukee County. It is too late for even a well-meaning property owner to address the problem this year.

Many property owners are probably unaware that they are harboring illegal plants and that they are contributing to the destruction of the state’s ecology and their neighbors’ landscapes. Others may be overwhelmed by the scale of the problem or naively see the cure — in many cases a responsibly applied, plant-specific herbicide — as worse than the problem.

Without intervention, the native plants that make Wisconsin’s rural landscape picturesque are quickly overrun.

Groups such as the Southeastern Wisconsin Invasive Species Consortium and the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust work hard to promote effective management of invasive plants, and such efforts have made an impact primarily through public education efforts.

Municipalities could do more to alert property owners to the impact of harboring such plants and the resources available to manage them. And, if needed, they could enforce the laws requiring them to do something about it.

As the dust settles in Maui, you can bet they’ll be doing that in Hawaii.