PCA Courses Take Control of Japanese knotweed
The Property Care Association is continuing to help the UK property and land management sectors take control of Japanese knotweed, with a comprehensive training programme designed to help ‘normalise’ the problem.
Certificated Surveyor in Japanese knotweed (CSJK)
The programme includes the two-day, modular course, Control and Eradication of Japanese Knotweed, which focuses mainly on identification and control measures for this nuisance plant species, but also briefly covers other invasive plants that they should be aware of.
Aimed at professionals in sectors including construction and development, surveying, horticulture, ecology and land remediation, the course takes the form of two modules.
Module one, The Management of Invasive Plant Species, covers general information on Japanese knotweed, as well as the techniques required to manage invasive plant species effectively and safely, such as biosecurity and waste management.
The second module, Identification and Control Options for Invasive Plants: Japanese Knotweed, examines in detail the ecology of the plant and its impacts, identification and control, as well as basic information on other problematic invasive plant species.
The next Control and Eradication of Japanese Knotweed course takes place on 24 and 25 February 2015. Full details, including a full syllabus and a booking form can be found by clicking here or calling Natasha on 0844 375 4301.
PCA Qualified Technician (Japanese knotweed)
The PCA has also launched a new training programme this year for technicians and field operatives working on the control and management of Japanese knotweed.
The one day course ‘Japanese knotweed PCA Qualified Technician,‘ is targeted at site workers who want to understand more about the plant and its eradication.
This course teaches students in a classroom environment the technical, biological and academic principals that underpin the processes that lead to the safe, swift and reliable control of Japanese knotweed. Next held on 12 February 2015, more details at the link below.
Click here for more information
Both courses – held at the PCa’s headquarters in Huntingdon – have been developed following the creation of the PCA’s Invasive Weed Control Group in 2012.
The PCA, which represents specialists solving problems affecting buildings, worked with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) – supported by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and The Building Societies Association – together with Japanese knotweed control companies that currently operate within the UK, to set up the group, to signpost consumers to professional treatment companies.
Steve Hodgson, general manager of the PCA, said: “Japanese knotweed is just a plant and we are taking all steps necessary to ‘normalise’ it, so it is viewed generally as any other type of property problem, in that it can be identified and treated, with minimal impact. The delivery of professional training is a major step forward in that process and this course shares the latest thinking and expertise to enable the UK to take control of Japanese knotweed and give reassurance to lenders that it can be remediated.”