<div dir="ltr"><div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 26px;padding:0px;line-height:13.5pt;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">The <span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(51,51,51)">Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources updated the state’s </span><a href="http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/agr/farm-products/plants/massachusetts-prohibited-plant-list.html" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;background-color:inherit;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(232,85,78);text-decoration:none">Prohibited Plant List </a><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(51,51,51)">in February. Three plants are now prohibited:  </span><em style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(51,51,51);box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Butomus umbellatus</span></em><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(51,51,51)"> (Flowering rush), </span><em style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(51,51,51);box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Salix atrocinerea</span></em><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(51,51,51)"> (Large Gray willow) and </span><em style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(51,51,51);box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Salix cinerea</span></em><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(51,51,51)"> (Rusty willow). A fourth plant, </span><em style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(51,51,51);box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Actinidia argute </span></em><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(51,51,51)">(hardy kiwi) was also included on the original request. However, due to the large number of comments received, the Department is “taking additional time to investigate” further “before making a final deter</span>mination.”<br><br>Massachusetts prohibits the importation, sale and trade of the plants on their prohibited plants list. This ban also covers the purchase and distribution of these plants and related activities, and includes all cultivars, varieties and hybrids of the plants.<br><br><span style="font-size:10pt;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51,51,51)">As </span>reported in "newTERRAIN" March 1 2017:<br><a href="https://www.newterrain.us/urban-ecology/massachusetts-adds-to-prohibited-plant-list/">https://www.newterrain.us/urban-ecology/massachusetts-adds-to-prohibited-plant-list/</a></p></div>
</div>