Invasive Exotic Plant Control
Since 2000, POST has actively worked to control the spread of invasive exotic plants on our land. The goal of this work, supported by generous grants from the California Coastal Conservancy and the Bella Vista Foundation, is to stop the spread of these plants and reduce existing populations so that native habitat usurped by these exotics can be restored.
POST has focused attention and resources on pampas grass, one of the most insidious varieties of invasive exotics found on our land. Pampas grass can grow to be 8 feet wide and 8 feet tall–big enough to fill an average-sized office and aggressive enough so that nothing else can grow in the area. Prominent throughout the San Mateo Coast, it tends to invade recently disturbed soils and then rapidly dominate the land and expand.
Pampas grass has been identified as a key threat to native coastal terrace prairie habitat, especially on POST's Pillar Point Bluff and Cloverdale Coastal Ranches properties. On these sites, we have been working to remove pampas grass with the help of trained volunteers and local contractors.
POST has also done work to control Scotch broom on our Johnston Ranch property near Half Moon Bay. We are beginning to take action against the spread of a new invasive in our area, the Canary Islands St. John's Wort on our Cloverdale property. We continue to test new methods of invasive exotic plant control so that we can determine the most effective techniques to revitalize our native landscape.