Vine Weeds - Upper Macleay
Vine Weeds - Upper Macleay
Revisiting Vines of the Upper Macleay
Making a Difference -
LLCI033-094
The issue
This Vine Weeds project sought to improve the condition of riparian vegetation, minimise weed spread into lower catchments of the Macleay River and reduce seeding of adult vines through the reduction of invasive vines and tropical apple soda by 75% over 6yrs accross private lands and indigenous lands along 13klms of the Macleay river within 20m of the riverbank.
As well as increase the capacity of landholders and stakeholders and weed management and control training and support in natural resource management for 10 indigenous trainees in the Upper Macleay catchment.
The solution
Funding secured from the Environmental Trust in 2011 allowed Macleay Landcare Network, landowners (approx 28 in the beginning stages of the project) and their collaborative partners eg., New England Weeds Authority, to begin work on these vine weed issues in the Upper Macleay nearby the area known as Blackbird Flat.
This project is now in its closing stage with a small amount of followup weed control work to be done in the next few months. The weeds targeted in this project were:
- Tropical Soda Apple - Mother of Millions
- Cat's Claw Creeper Vine - Madeira Vine - Lantana
The impact
The impact in the reduction of the above mentioned weeds over the past six (6) years has been quite visible on many properties with continued weed control on properties.
Weed control of Cat's Claw Creeper Vine and Madeira Vine and Lantana are quite visible on many sites - the images herewith show recent results of several days of weed control on lands belonging to Comara Station in the Upper Macleay.
Learnings
Although the initial area of control was 300ha, due to flooding and inaccessibility to areas a variation in the project size was reduced to 225ha.
Seasonal timing for weed control essential as was planning of protection of riparian zones on a landscape scale.
Key facts
- Collaboration on a landscape scale
- Seasonal timing for weed control essential
- Planning for protection of riparian zones on a landscape scale