Broombusters society celebrates 20 years of cutting broom on Vancouver Island
Published 7:30 pm Saturday, June 20, 2026
More than 30 local volunteers gathered in Coombs on June 13 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Broombusters Invasive Plant Society.
Attendees included past and present volunteers who have helped clear Scotch broom throughout the Parksville-Qualicum-Beach area, from Nanoose Bay to Bowser and west to Whiskey Creek.
Broombusters began in June 2006 when Joanne Sales asked Qualicum Beach Mayor Teunis Westbroek why the town wasn’t removing the large stands of Scotch broom lining local roads. When the mayor replied that the town lacked the manpower, Sales proposed volunteers cut the broom if the town would remove it. The answer was yes — and Broombusters was born.
After learning broom dies when cut during bloom, volunteers began clearing infestations. The first year saw just 10 volunteers working in Qualicum Beach and Coombs, supported by the Ministry of Transportation. The movement quickly expanded, reaching Parksville in 2007.
The anniversary celebration brought together longtime and new volunteers to share stories, enjoy refreshments and walk the property’s forest trail and labyrinth. Mayor Westbroek, councillors Anne Skipsey and Petronella Vander Valk, along with Wendy Maurer, one of the 2006 supportive councillors, were among those who attended.
The Broombusters model — volunteers working in partnership with local governments and provincial agencies — has spread across Vancouver Island. Today, 14 municipalities and regional districts support local broom-cutting efforts. Where volunteers are active, broom populations are declining; elsewhere, they continue to spread rapidly.
Scotch broom is an invasive plant with no natural controls in local ecosystems. It forms dense thickets that crowd out native species along roadsides, parks, farms, fields and utility corridors. It is also highly flammable.
Retired Powell River Fire Chief Terry Peters describes Scotch broom as a “volatile flash fuel” that increases wildfire intensity and makes fires more difficult to control. FireSmart ranks broom among the highest-risk flammable plants.
While the success of broom removal is often invisible, volunteers know the difference. As many say, “You should have seen it back then — broom was everywhere.”
Other 20th-anniversary celebrations are taking place in Nanaimo, Lantzville, Coquitlam, Comox Valley and the Alberni Valley.
For more information, visit Broombusters.org.