A new bill introduced in the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday would ban the sale of running bamboo in an effort to cut down on its effect as an invasive plant in the county, according to sponsor Councilmember Evan Glass (D-At-large).
The Native Plant Protection Act, co-sponsored by council President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) and councilmember Dawn Luedtke (D-Dist. 7), would prohibit the commercial sale of invasive running bamboo and require that at least 50% of all landscaping in new construction projects include plant species native to the Mid-Atlantic region.
“[Invasive bamboo] is a major problem and headache for many people,” Glass said when introducing the bill during Tuesday’s council meeting.
According to the council staff report, running bamboo is an aggressive invasive species, spreading underground by up to 15 feet per year. Its rapid growth can damage neighboring structures and overwhelm native vegetation.
In 2023, state Del. Linda Foley (D-Dist. 15) of Potomac introduced a bill in the Maryland General Assembly authorizing county and city governments to adopt ordinances relating to regulation of invasive bamboo. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore (D) in May 2023.
Foley said in a February 2023 interview with Capital News Service that a constituent approached her complaining that a neighbor’s bamboo was encroaching on the constituent’s backyard. Foley said the encounter inspired her to draft the bill.
Running bamboo, which is sometimes planted by property owners to form a natural boundary barrier, is so invasive that sometimes it ends up invading the very area it is planted to protect, Foley said.
For example, Foley told the news service Moses Morningstar Cemetery in Cabin John planted bamboo to shield the graves from traffic.
“The bamboo is so invasive that it’s getting into the headstones and into the burial plots themselves,” she said.
The part of the legislation that would impose the native plant requirement is intended to foster the local ecosystem, Glass said Tuesday.
“This legislation promotes sustainable native plants … it promotes biodiversity, building climate resilient landscapes and protecting our pollinators,” Glass said.
According to the council’s legislative packet, native species will be defined as those found in the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. The bill also would exempt native plants and grasses from county weed removal requirements.
“Native trees, shrubs and grasses protect soil from erosion, reduce runoff and flooding, improve air quality and provide critical food and habitat for bees, butterflies and birds,” Glass said in a Tuesday press release about the legislation.
A public hearing on the bill is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. July 22 during the council’s regular business meeting in Rockville.
