Bamboo is an evergreen flowering plant that is used commonly for privacy screening. It is popular for this purpose because it grows fast. So why does the County need to regulate bamboo? To understand why, you first need to understand the difference between the two types of bamboo: clumping vs. running. Clumping bamboo (sympodial or pachymorph) is noninvasive and has a short clumping root system that spread slowly in small clumps. Running bamboo (monopodial or leptomorph) is invasive and spreads quickly through horizontal underground stems called rhizomes. The rhizomes continue to grow horizontally as new shoots emerge from the ground.  Without containment measures, running bamboo can grow out of control. It can spread as much as 15 feet horizontally per year.  Running bamboo can easily take over yards, encroach on neighboring properties and roads, damage structures, overpower native plants and trees, and be destructive to the natural environment. Once established, it is difficult and expensive to remove.

Lieurance, D., Cooper, A., Young, A.L., Gordon, D.R., & Flory, S.L. (2018). Running bamboo species pose a greater invasion risk than clumping bamboo species in the continental United States. Journal for Nature Conservation, 43(2018), 39-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2018.02.012

     In 2018 the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation designating running bamboo as a noxious weed and providing localities the authority to control it through adoption of local ordinances.  In August 2020, the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors passed two ordinances aimed at protecting properties and the environment from running bamboo. The ordinances’ stated purposes are “to preserve and protect private and public property, indigenous plant materials, and property values from the damaging spread of running bamboo grasses.” 

     One of the new ordinances [ORD-20-010] requires landowners whose property contains running bamboo to prevent it from spreading onto other properties and within fifteen feet of a public road or right of way. Employment of effective containment measures such as impenetrable barriers and trenches is required.

     The second ordinance [ORD-20-011] makes it unlawful for landowners to allow the overgrowth of vegetation including grass, weeds, and other foreign growth, which includes running bamboo, on their property. If a landowner refuses to remedy the overgrowth after notice from the County, the County may have it cut and record a lien against the property for the remediation expenses. This ordinance does not apply to agriculturally zoned land or active farming operations or to properties within the corporate limits of any town. Violations of either ordinance may result in the imposition of civil penalties against the property owners. To report nuisance bamboo, please call (540) 422-8006. Callers who wish to remain anonymous may do so.

     The County cautions residents who choose to plant or maintain running bamboo to be aware of its hazards and their responsibilities to both maintain and contain it under the new ordinances.  Before planting bamboo, residents are urged to research it fully, to understand its negative effects, and to consider alternatives such as evergreen trees and native plants and grasses that provide rapid vertical growth and screening but are not destructive. 

     The County is committed to working with property owners who are genuinely trying to abate an existing running bamboo problem on their property by providing information about effective bamboo abatement practices and, for those who need professional assistance, a list of local contractors from which they can choose to purchase services. A listing of local contractors who are willing to assist property owners with the removal of an existing stand of running bamboo on their property is accessible here [List of Landscapers for Bamboo Remediation].

 For additional information or assistance, contact the County Attorney’s Office at (540) 422-8010.

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