As a leading conservation organisation within the region for over 40 years, The Lancashire Wildlife Trust has unrivalled local experience in delivering practical countryside management, conservation and landscape projects.

The Trust’s nature reserve portfolio contains 39 sites covering 970 hectares and it has responsibility to maintain all green spaces in a sound ecological condition.

The Trust’s contract services team, managed by Steve Cowell, has also expanded rapidly in recent years and one of its main areas of expertise has been the treatment of Japanese Knotweed for a number of public sector clients.

“We are contracted on an annual basis to provide knotweed treatment to a number of local authorities in the county, including Blackburn, Bolton and Hyndburn. For the past five years, our preferred method has been stem injection using equipment supplied by Stockport-based Stem Injection Systems,” says Steve.

“Whilst we have a number of larger infestation sites, most of our knotweed problems are in isolated, difficult to access areas and, being portable and requiring no additional water or heavy knapsacks, the stem injection equipment is ideal.

“As a highly localised treatment that avoids spray drift or run-off contamination, stem injection is also preferred by local authorities as a more environmentally-friendly option.

“We have worked with Stem Injection Systems for over five years and now use four of their injectors as a vital part of our treatment armoury, mainly within the public sector, but also to help with the Trust’s various private sector countryside management projects.”