Summary
The Ury Burn is a small tributary of the River Cowie which runs through the Ury Estate by Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire.
Several large stands of Japanese knotweed were first found on both banks of the burn along a 1.5km length in 2011. Following this, the River Dee Trust has been controlling Japanese knotweed on the burn with support from the Stonehaven District Angling Association and the landowner.
Initial control in 2011 was by stem injection but the scale of the problem meant that further control was undertaken by foliar leaf spray to allow large areas of growth to be treated reasonably quickly. This work was funded initially by the Water Environment Fund managed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). From 2018 control has been coordinated by the River Dee Trust as part of the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative.
Ongoing control has been required at the site due to the initial scale of infestation and the challenging nature of the site. Existing stands continue to be controlled but we are finding that ongoing treatment of small feeble stems results in poor uptake of the chemical and regrowth the following season. Since the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative became involved the abundance of Japanese knotweed present and the effort required to complete annual control has reduced.
Further control work will be undertaken by the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative via the River Dee Trust in 2022. Alongside this work discussions will take place with the landowner and angling association to seek to agree and transfer future control responsibilities to them at the end of the project. The development of a golf course within part of the Ury Estate may allow control to be continued as part of ongoing golf course management work.
1. Site description
The Ury Burn is a tributary of the Cowie Water which itself runs through the village of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire and to the sea. The burn runs mainly through agricultural land and patches of densely wooded areas.
The control site (grid reference NO 85969 88062), owned by FM Ury Estates, is around 1.5km long with the channel width ranging from 2m to 0.5m wide along this length. Stands of Japanese knotweed are present on and adjacent to the watercourse throughout the control section. The site is shown in Map 1.
Within the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative partnership the Cowie Water catchment is covered by the River Dee Trust.