Native Plant Conservation Campaign News: Update on pro-native plant laws and ordinances. There are more than we thought!
Your community can adopt one too!
October 19, 2018
On October 9, the Pennsylvania Township of West Norriton adopted the latest local
ordinance in support of the use of native plants in all Township landscaping.
West Norriton joins several other municipalities (at least three in Pennsylvania alone!) - and the state of New Jersey - in enacting requirements to encourage use of locally adapted native plants in development, parks and or landscaping. Most of these ordinances were adopted in order to reduce water, pesticide and fertilizer use in local landscaping:
In 2017, the state of New Jersey adopted requirements that state transportation agencies use only native plants in landscaping and other plantings. The law was developed in order to reduce fertilizer and other chemical use and pollution from roadside revegetation following Hurricane Sandy.
Read a
press release about the rationale behind and development of the law.
Since 2014, Palm Beach County , Floridahas had a
program to encourage restoration and expansion of Florida native plant canopy. The county also provides technical assistance and free native plants to county residents.
In 2010, the City of Lake Worth, Florida adopted a landscaping code which calls for native, drought-hardy plants that save money, add value and follow other “
Florida-friendly” landscaping practices.
In 2007, the township of Lower Makefield, Pennsylvania adopted an
ordinance encouraging the use of native plants in subdivisions and other land development.
This ordinance was later adopted by nearby Schuylkill Township, also in Pennsylvania.
The Lower Makefield ordinance directs in part, that “[a]ll major subdivisions and land development plans shall contain a Landscape Plan approved before construction and as part of the subdivision/land development approval process which shall address the conservation of the natural landscape to enhance the development and to protect surrounding areas. All required plants shall be Native Plants. The basic goal is to preserve the native flora by mimicking the localized native plant community.”
NOTE:
2015 National Seed Strategy initiated a similar initiative for federal land management agencies. The U.S. became the first nation on earth to adopt a policy to encourage the use of locally adapted, locally appropriate native plant species in federal land management. See the
Fact Sheet on the Seed Strategy
Although such laws are still uncommon, clearly more communities are adopting them. If you know of a pro-native plant ordinance in your state or local area, please let the NPCC know.
REMEMBER - LOCAL ELECTIONS MATTER
VOTE ON OR BEFORE NOVEMBER 6!!
- a partnership of the Native Plant Conservation Campaign and the Endangered Species Coalition
.
