The Tralee to Fenit greenway will be suffocated by Japanese Knotweed within the next ten years, if it’s not properly treated.
That’s according to Independent councillor Sam Locke.
He raised the issue at the recent Tralee Municipal District meeting.
Japanese Knotweed is an invasive plant species and needs to be specially treated to remove it.
Cllr Sam Locke asked the council to address the Japanese Knotweed that he says is present on the Tralee-Fenit Greenway.
He says if the problem isn’t addressed now, the greenway will be suffocated by the plant within 10 years.
Cllr Locke told the meeting that it is a difficult situation as he’s aware a lot of weed killers have been banned and that Japanese Knotweed is difficult to treat.
However, he feels the greenway will be destroyed if the issue isn’t addressed now; he told the meeting the roots of the plant could lift the greenway and destroy it.
Cllr Sam Locke cited the investment gone into the greenway and the tourism benefits it brings and called for action.
Kerry County Council says areas of the greenway, containing Japanese Knotweed, were treated last Autumn.
It says the Japanese Knotweed rhizomes are currently dormant and are not suitable for treatment.
The council added that it will investigate, identify and treat any Japanese Knotweed on the Tralee to Fenit Greenway in early Autumn, which it says it considered the optimum time of the year to treat it.
