Northampton supervisors approved an ordinance in August, setting requirements for new and old bamboo following residential complaints about the plant’s invasive nature, while last month Lower Makefield supervisors tightened a bamboo ordinance the board originally passed in 2016.

 

Two townships’ recent votes on bamboo ordinances are likely to satisfy a number of residents, unless they happen to be panda bears.

 

Residents cannot plant new bamboo unless they contain its root system entirely within an above-ground planter or barrel, or they enlist an “experienced installer,” who must provide certification to the township, to install a barrier that meets six design standards for thickness and depth.

 

Once dead or destroyed, bamboo cannot be replanted unless it is in compliance with the ordinance.

 

Those found in violation could be found guilty of a summary offense in district court and fined $1,000, with each day a violation persists constituting a new offense.

 

Bristol Township, New Britain Township, Perkasie, Quakertown and Yardley are among the Bucks municipalities to regulate bamboo in recent years.