LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Volunteers remove flammable French Broom from Nature Area


Toris Jaeger Photo Reg Barrett

On a rainy Sunday a few weeks ago, 20 children and parents helped Toris Jaeger remove invasive French Broom plants from around the Wagner Ranch Nature Area in Orinda. Children hunted for the pretty plants along the winding trails, and worked together to pull up and cut down these dangerous invaders. Over a snack break, Jaeger told them how the troublesome broom springs up year after year from old seed deposited years earlier. The trick is to pull it up before the new developing seeds are released.

Most people do not know that this pretty shrub is so highly flammable that it's a fireman's nightmare. The seeds are poisonous to wildlife and the shrub crowds out garden plants. If you find it in your yard, please remove it - you will be doing your neighbors and wildlife a favor by getting rid of a fire hazard.