A forest! A forest of giant flowers. Two and three – yes, up to four meters high, they tower over the edge of a field. One wafts out of the monster plants, not unlike the smell of celery. – Yes, they are related to celery and carrot and various other shelter plants, says Edwin Henri Johan Oortwin. In Switzerland, he sifts through the heat, where he, together with colleague Jim David Gauksrud, live loosely at the roots of the plants with a pointed spade. This is how they can get the hang of them, before they had time to spread their seeds. – Everything else around dies. That is an important reason why we do this job, says Oortwin. THE GIANT BEAR BISCUITS WILL COME DOWN: The whole forest of giant bear biscuits in front of Edwin Henri Johan Oortwin from the agricultural office in Gjøvik is going down. Photo: Geir Randby / news Takes over for everything else The giant bear cake is among the worst on the list of banned plants in Norway. It is a well-known problem across large parts of the country. The edge of the forest where the two spars take root is typical of where this super-strong plant, originally from the Caucasus, spreads. In areas that are otherwise not looked after by garden owners or farmers. Weeds such as nettle and raspberry sedge must give way. Even giant spring seed, another hardy, blacklisted plant, succumbs to the giant bear biscuit. WELL DRESSED: Edwin Henri Johan Oortwin and Jim David Gauksrud are well protected so as not to get plant sap from the giant bear biscuit. Photo: GEIR rANDBY / news Edwin Henri and his colleague Jim David usually sit in the agricultural office and are advisers in front of a PC. But all summer long they do this hard physical work. They speed around to 8-10 different places in the large Gjøvik municipality where the giant bear biscuit has appeared. In some places, they have to cut the roots three or four times during the summer to close. Facts about giant bear biscuits The giant bear biscuits are on the list of undesirable species in Norway. Both because it is poisonous and because it displaces other vegetation. The plant sap acts so-called phototoxic when we get it on bare skin. sunlight. The giant bear biscuit was brought to Europe from the Caucasus in the 19th century, as an ornamental plant in gardens in England. As recently as the 1970s, it was recommended in a Norwegian garden book, so it has been planted in Norwegian gardens until recently. But now it is spreading at breakneck speed. A plant can have 50,000 seeds, which are spread nearby, so that it quickly becomes an entire forest. Furthermore, the plant is usually spread through soil being transported from one place to another, often in connection with construction work. The sheep helps And more contribute in the fight against the fighter. In a field a few miles away, a herd of sheep is walking. They are placed there to eat giant bear biscuits. – Both goats and sheep like the plant very much, and they tolerate it, says Oortwin. He is originally from the Netherlands. There they have a national action plan against giant bear biscuits. And the sheep is the most important warrior they have. – The Sauerasa they use in the Netherlands is hardy and for those sheep the giant bear biscuit is the best food. They gnaw on both small and large plants. They gnaw off the stem of the tallest plants and knock them over, so that they can eat everything. The test sheep at Gjøvik also like the plant – and they keep the soil clean throughout the summer. – The sheep are always looked after by a veterinarian. Among other things, we check whether they get blisters in their mouths. But it seems to be going well with them, and that they enjoy the “biscuit”, says Oortwin. He hopes that other Norwegian sheep breeds can also get used to having giant bear biscuits in their diet. SHEEP HELP: Sheep like giant bear biscuits. A herd of old, Norwegian spelsau works on a field that was infected by the plant. They like it and keep it clean. Here in collaboration with Jim David Gauksrud. Photo: Landbrukkontoret in Gjøvik Blisters and rashes Giant bear biscuits are poisonous. If you get plant sap on your skin, it must be washed off as soon as possible. Otherwise, you can get big blisters. It is particularly dangerous if you get sun on your skin afterwards, then the reaction can be extreme, and it is painful. Every summer, several people get rashes and blisters after being in contact with giant bear biscuits. SKIN DANGER: Skin contact with giant bear biscuits can cause serious rashes and blisters. The plant sap must be washed off within two hours. And even if it is washed off, FHI recommends using a high sun protection factor for at least two days afterwards. Photo: Åshild Levik Department director Mari Tosterud in the Folkehelseinstutet is head of poison information. She says that the plant sap must be washed off as soon as possible, otherwise it managed to soak into the skin. – Use a high sun protection factor and cover the skin with cloth for at least two days after you have been in contact with the plant, then you can prevent damage. Poison Information has received around 50 questions or messages about giant bear biscuits this year. Most of the people who report injuries from giant bear biscuits to Poison Information are adults. – They can get the juice on themselves when weeding the beds, or doing work out in the field, says Tosterud. The plant must be removed The politicians in Gjøvik do not want the residents to risk this. That is why they invest so hard in getting rid of the plant completely and have set aside money for it. Something agricultural manager Ingun Revhaug is happy about. – The plant is also found along footpaths where people travel, that is not good. So both in terms of nature and people, we now put everything into eradicating the plant here at our place, says Revhaug. WANT TO REMOVE THE PLANT: Agriculture manager Ingun Revhaug in Gjøvik wants to have giant bear biscuits eradicated from the municipality. Both because it destroys nature and because it is toxic to people. Photo: Geir Randby / news It is possible to spray chemicals on the plant early in the spring, but against streams and water this is not allowed.
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Gjøvik municipality wants to eradicate the poisonous herb giant bear biscuit – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
