Weed with bite is eating acres across state

Kerry Saxton is in the third year of a war he's not sure he can win, and he's got the scars on his left forearm to prove it.

His enemy? Parsnip.

Wild parsnip to be exact, a perennial weed with sap that is harmful to human skin and is so corrosive it can cause blisters as severe as a second-degree burn.

Wild parsnip has been a problem in southeastern Minnesota for years, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. But it has grown to severe levels this summer in Wright County, which will spend tens of thousands of dollars to fight the infestation.

Exacerbating the problem is the fact that state funding to combat wild parsnip infestation is being reduced.

Wright County, for example, expected $70,000 in state funding this year for eradication efforts. Instead, it will get less than a third of that amount -- $20,000, according to officials.

Last month, the Wright County Board approved spending another $10,000, but commissioners expect they will spend tens of thousands more to make up for the shortfall from the state.

"It just exploded the past three years here," said Saxton, office manager of the Wright Soil and Water Conservation District. "This plant just seems to take over the grass lands."

Deceiving looks

When it is flowering, wild parsnip stands about 4 feet high with clusters of small yellow flowers up to 6 inches wide, according to botanists.

Through a chemical reaction called phytophotodermatitis, the sap combines with sunlight to cause skin rashes, blistering and discoloration.

"It's nasty," said Saxton, who will start a county task force next month to work on containing or eradicating the weed.

On a tour this summer to get a firsthand look at the plant, Saxton rubbed a pin-head-size drop of the sap on his arm to see what he was dealing with.

"I wanted to see how potent it was," said Saxon, one of several county workers who have been burned by wild parsnip. "I've still got the scar. It's like a second-degree burn."

Migrating along highways

The weed has made its way north by following transportation corridors, generally interstate highways and rail lines.

In Wright County the infestations are concentrated along Hwy. 12, Hwy. 55 and Interstate 94.

"It's pretty extensive in Wright County," said Brian Sanoski, a conservation worker with the Soil District. "In the past three years it has gone from hardly being noticed to a full-blown invasion."

Sanoski, who last year had his feet blistered and burned after walking through wild parsnip, estimates that more than 80 acres of the county are infested at dozens of sites.

"I thought it was poison ivy," he said. "My feet swelled up and it looked like I had web feet for a while."

Sanoski was lucky -- his scars cleared up after about a year. Other people who have come in contact with wild parsnip have had scars last for years.

Hard to kill

Eradication efforts are difficult because the weed spreads quickly.

Initially it was believed that heavy grass areas might hold it off, but Saxton said that has been proved wrong.

That realization has spurred on the county's efforts to eradicate it as quickly as possible. But without enough state money, Saxton said, the county might have to depend on volunteers and civilians to combat the menace.

On its website, the county warns residents about the dangers of wild parsnip, noting that the plant is now present in about half the counties in the state, just about every state in the union and in every province in Canada.

"There is no way we can do this on our own," Saxton said. "We have to get the public involved. The war has just been joined. But the enemy is a lot tougher than we anticipated."

Heron Marquez Estrada • 612-673-4280