Courtesy Photo A patch of wild parsnip is seen in an open area.

ALPENA — Local environmental group Huron Pines has spotted wild parsnip, an invasive plant that is dangerous to humans, along Grand Lake Highway near the border of Alpena and Presque Isle counties.

Huron Pines officials told the Alpena County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that the sap of wild parsnip can cause burns on exposed skin when reacting with sunlight.

Huron Pines spokesman Chris Engle said cutting or mowing the plant can release the sap, so skin and eye protection is highly recommended when cutting the plant down.

“What kind of sets wild parsnip apart from a lot of the other invasive species we have in northern Michigan is that most are harmful and that they impact the natural ecosystem,” Engle said. “But this one has actual, like, potential harm to humans, which makes it a little bit more concerning. To treat this species, we apply herbicide directly to individual plants to kill them while minimizing impacts to surrounding vegetation.”

Wild parsnip is often present in undisturbed open areas such as fields and roadsides. According to an educational fact sheet from Huron Pines, the plant spreads through seeds carried by wind and equipment.

The plant can grow taller than five feet high with multiple leaflets growing across the stem and clusters of yellow-green flowers blooming in June and July.

“I asked a member of the Huron Pines Stewardship Team who works in our coastal counties and she confirmed that we’ve seen it along Grand Lake Highway somewhere between Hideaway Bar and the Besser Natural Area where you turn off to,” Engle said. “I want to emphasize that wild parsnip has been found along the Grand Lake Highway corridor in isolated small patches, not along the entire roadway. It’s also likely it grows in other places around the region, which is why it’s important people know how to identify it.”

Huron Pines also told commissioners Japanese knotweed is still an issue for home foundations and other infrastructures.

Japanese knotweed is a persistent and dangerous plant in many places, Engle told The News last summer as he showed large thickets of bamboo-like stems. He said the best analogy for the plant is like the mythical beast the hydra. If you cut the stems without removing the root, it will come back larger and angrier.

The root also causes problems for human structures. It is very thick and durable, so it can break concrete. If close to a home, it can potentially destroy a foundation and harm septic systems.

“What we have to do is cut it short,” Engle said. “The stems are hollow, so we usually cut it close to the ground and fill the stems with low-strength herbicide. It’s best to do this in the fall, because it’s close to winter. The plant roots try to hibernate in the cold and suck up any moisture, so it soaks up the herbicide.”

Residents can report invasive species to Huron Pines at info@huronpines.org or 989-448-2293.