Whereas the Nature Conservation Act previously stated that landowners were not allowed to cultivate certain invasive species or release them into the wild, the amended version now includes a requirement to actively control some invasive species on their land. According to Merike Linnamägi, adviser at the Ministry of Climate's biodiversity protection department, the previous language had been open to interpretation.

Specifically, landowners will be obligated to control six plant species: Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed), Impatiens glandulifera (Himalayan balsam), Erechtites hieraciifolius (American burnweed) and three varieties of Fallopia (Reynoutria), commonly known as knotweed).

Andry Krass, chair of the Estonian Property Owners' Association, considers it unrealistic to expect landowners to identify and control various invasive plants on their own.

Naturally, such control efforts involve a financial burden. For example, last year, the average cost for giant hogweed removal commissioned by the Environmental Board was €188 per hectare. However, according to Linnamägi, the six target species are relatively easy for the average person to remove and do not pose the same health risks as hogweed, which is controlled by the state.

"These are plants that can either be pulled up fairly easily and don't require any special skills or knowledge or can be managed through regular mowing — but they do require persistence," said the ministry adviser.

Linnamägi acknowledged that while the sale of these plants has been banned for years, it's unrealistic to expect that every landowner would be familiar with them.

"For example, if someone has recently acquired land and doesn't know its history, it would be wise to learn about these species and take a good look around the property to make sure they're not present. Knotweed might have spread at old farmsteads or places where garden waste was dumped, but the other three are typically ornamental garden plants," she added.

The Property Owners' Association is also concerned about a rise in civil disputes between neighbors, as landowners may begin reporting one another in order to avoid or deflect fines.

"The question becomes: whose fault is it that the invasive plant ended up on a particular property and who failed to take timely action to remove it, allowing it to spread to neighboring land?" Krass said.

The ministry, however, says it does not intend to immediately impose fines or conduct blanket inspections.

"At first, landowners will be informed of their obligation, given guidance on how to carry out the removal and provided a deadline for completing it. If the work still isn't done by the specified date, further steps may be considered," Linnamägi explained. "One option is substitute performance by the state, where the government hires a contractor to remove the plants and then recoups the cost from the landowner."

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