Managing Native Woodlands to Eradicate Noxious Weeds
from the Lithgow Mercury August 24th
WOODLANDS in the Kanimbla area which are under threat from noxious weed such as serrated tussock, blackberry and tree of heaven are being looked after by the Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment Management Authority and the Upper Macquarie County Council and a group of local landholders.
HNCMA Catchment Officer Robert Leslie said they had met with a group of landholders from the Kanimbla area to discuss the management of the regenerating woodlands and noxious weed control.
“The problem with killing the noxious weeds is that the native grasses and shrubs have also been killed and when there are no other more desirable plants left the weeds come back bigger and better than before.
“We are providing landholders with advice on how to identify and treat the weeds as well as look for the natives and not lose them in the process,” Mr Leslie said.
“We have funding available for owners on these small properties to control the weeds while maximising the potential for native grass and shrub regeneration in the woodland patches.
“The owners and Landcare have done a lot of great work here in the past and we want to build on that,” he said.
The Kanimbla estate area off Coxs River road near Dudawarra Bridge was cleared for farmland over 60 years ago and was sub-divided into eight to 10 hectare lots and sold off as rural residential properties in the mid 1990s.
During the past 20 years the native woodlands have started to recover with the growth of gums, native shrubs and grasses which are now part of the Endangered Yellow Box woodland community that once covered much of the Central Tablelands and is now only around 5 per cent of its original extent.
The NSW/ACT Serrated Tussock Coordinator Clare Hamilton said the approach of focussing on woodland management is interesting and unique in serrated tussock control.
“The country here is rugged and steep; normal approaches to control serrated tussock are difficult or impossible to achieve without negatively impacting on our native species.”
Landholders were also taken to couple of properties to look at how to treat the weeds in specific situations.
“It’s probably one of the most rewarding and informative sessions I’ve been to,” Chris Mills from The Peak at Mt Kanimbla said.
Any further questions or assistance with funding opportunities call the Hawkesbury Nepean Catchment Management Authority, Lithgow office on 6350 3110.
