The State Division of Agriculture last week issued a quarantine order for a pair of trees from the Prunus genus that it said have become invasive and displaced native flora in multiple areas of the state including the Kenai Peninsula Borough.
Mayday trees and chokecherry trees are barred from being imported, transported or sold under the order, which entered into force on Monday. The two trees have “invaded riparian zones along creeks and native forests throughout the state,” the release reads. They both can “quickly take over the understory” of forests and displace vegetation important to both fish and wildlife.
The release specifically says that the trees are toxic to moose and have impacted the food supply of young salmon.
One of the finalists in the 2024 Caring for the Kenai competition, Abigail Crumline of Cook Inlet Academy, presented on the hazards to moose from chokecherry trees and took fifth place for her idea to create informational pamphlets about the trees.
Another hazard to local wildlife is a fungal disease potentially spread by the trees, the release says, that was found “recently” on Mayday trees on the campus of the University of Alaska Anchorage.
“Many agencies,” the release says, are working to control and eliminate the two invasive trees. The release sites over half a million dollars in funding directed in recent years for control measures, public outreach and education, mostly from the State Division of Forestry & Fire Protection.
“With this quarantine, the flow of trees into Alaska will stop, making this goal more attainable,” Division of Agriculture Director Byan Scoresby says in the release.
For more information, visit dnr.alaska.gov.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
