Weeds are a serious environmental and agricultural problem throughout Australia, costing in excess of $4 billion each year in management and lost production, with a similar figure estimated for impacts on environmental conservation, amenity and tourism (Australian Weeds Strategy 2006).
In native bushland, weeds outcompete indigenous flora, smothering the vegetation and, in severe cases, creating a monoculture lacking the diversity to sustain populations of native fauna. In agricultural settings, weeds reduce land value by infiltrating crops and paddocks, contaminating produce, decreasing carrying capacity, restricting stock and human access and causing health problems to animals and humans. Weeds also reduce the amenity value of natural areas by hindering or, in some cases, entirely preventing access for recreational purposes.
Many of the problematic species have escaped from gardens and ornamental plantings to become widespread. Gardeners and hobby farmers, of whom there are many in the Molonglo Catchment, have an opportunity to effectively manage existing weeds to prevent the problem from worsening and prevent additional species from escaping and invading the natural bushland. A strategic approach to weed management is required to address the problem, and weed control needs to be considered a priority by all members of the community, whether responsible for a broad scale farming enterprise or a suburban back yard.
This information pack is designed to help you, as a member of the Molonglo Catchment community, identify problem species and make it easy for you to carry out your responsibilities as a land manager/occupier in controlling serious invasive plants. Using the information in this pack will assist you to control weeds more effectively (thus saving money, effort and time), improve the productivity of your land, be a good neighbour and enhance our natural landscapes.
Implementing coordinated, strategic weed control now will save future costs and ensure we leave a legacy, rather than a liability, to future generations.
Fact Sheets
Weed Calendar
Acknowledgements
Our sincere thanks go to the following people for the provision of the large number of high quality photographs which make this information pack so useful.
We would particularly like to thank Jackie Miles and Max Campbell who provided the majority of the photos.
We would also like to thank:
Les Tanner (North West Weeds); Lynton Bond; Friends of Aranda Bushland Inc; Michel Dignand and John Gasparotto, (NSW Department of Primary Industries); Eurobodalla Shire Council; Andrew Paget; Adam Muyt; Mark Imhof, Chris Cooper, Mark Gardener and Angela Murphy (Department of Primary Industries Victoria); Shire of Yarra Ranges; Bega Valley Shire Council; Phil Hansen and Jason Robinson (Queanbeyan City Council); Palerang Council; Cooma-Monaro Shire Council; CSIRO; G. Manly (Australian National Botanic Gardens); Croplands Equipment Pty Ltd; Penny Hussey and the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia.
References
Primary information source
Southern Tablelands and South Coast Noxious Plants Committee online resources (sourced between January and November 2007) www.southeastweeds.org.au
Other information sources
Australian Weeds Strategy – a national strategy for weed management in Australia. Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (2006), Australian Government Department of the Environment and Water Resources, Canberra, ACT.
Ayres, L. and Leech, F. (2006). Primefact 44. Serrated tussock – identification and control. NSW Department of Primary Industries. NSW.
Cooma-Monaro Shire Council. (No date). Noxious Weed Fact Sheets. Cooma, NSW.
Department of Primary Industries. (Sourced on 23/7/07). Victorian Resources Online: Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) (Nox) [online]. Available from www.dpi.vic.gov.au/vro
Environment ACT. (1996). ACT Weeds Strategy: A 10 year strategy for implementing a coordinated program for controlling weeds in the ACT. Canberra, ACT.
Environment ACT and Conservation Council of the South East Region and Canberra. (No date). Garden Plants Going Bush Fact Sheets. Canberra, ACT.
Eurobodalla Shire Council online resources. (Sourced between January and November 2007). www.esc.nsw.gov.au/weeds
Ingram, T. (2007). Fireweed on the Monaro Power Point Presentation 2007. Cooma-Monaro Shire Council. Cooma, NSW.
Muyt, A. (2001). Bush Invaders of South-East Australia. A guide to the identification and control of environmental weeds found in South-East Australia. RG and FJ Richardson, Melbourne.
NSW Department of Primary Industries. (August 2006). Calendar of growth cycle and control times for weeds of the Southern Tablelands. NSW.
NSW Department of Primary Industries. (2007). Primefact 365. Weeds – a threat to drought recovery. NSW.
NSW Department of Primary Industries. (2007). Primefact 372. Weed strategies following drought, fire and flood. NSW.
NSW Department of Primary Industries. (2007). Primefact 410. Resolving conflict in weed control. NSW.
NSW Department of Primary Industries, Weed Management Unit. (2007). New South Wales Weed Biological Control Programs.
Palerang Council. (No date). Noxious Weeds Information Pamphlet. Bungendore, NSW.
Queanbeyan City Council. (2004). Weed Management for Semi-rural Landholders. Queanbeyan, NSW.
Queanbeyan Parks and Recreation Services, Queanbeyan City Council. (No date). Noxious Weeds and You! Queanbeyan, NSW.
South East Catchment Management Board. (2004). Weeds of the Monaro. Pambula, NSW.
Further Reading
Abbott, N. (et al). (2006). Bushwise in Queanbeyan – A Queanbeyan Community Initiative. Queanbeyan, NSW.
Eddy, D. (et al). (1998). Grassland Flora – a field guide for the Southern Tablelands (NSW & ACT). Canberra, ACT.
Look after your natural assets. Upper Murrumbidgee Catchment Coordinating Committee and the Geary’s Gap Wamboin Landcare Group. (2003). Canberra, ACT. (www.umccc.org.au)
The Australian National Botanic Gardens website: www.anbg.gov.au
The Weeds Australia website: www.weeds.org.au
Dellow, J. (et al.) (2007). Weed Control in Lucerne and Pastures 2007. NSW Department of Primary Industries. Orange, NSW.
Brooke, G. (et al). (2007). Weed Control in Winter Crops 2007. NSW Department of Primary Industries. NSW.
About the Weed Information Pack
The Molonglo Catchment Weed Information Pack was developed by the Molonglo Conservation Group (MCG) with assistance from the Southern Tablelands and South Coast Noxious Plants Committee, Geoff Butler, Queanbeyan City Council, Cooma-Monaro Shire Council, the Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority (CMA), the ACT Government, Palerang Shire Council and various other contributing parties, to whom we are very grateful, mentioned in the acknowledgements.
Particular thanks must be given to Jackie Miles and Max Campbell for sharing their collection of weed photographs, adding immeasurably to the value of the package.
Compiled by Zoe Wood. Edited by Geoff Butler, Kerrin Styles, Jim Darrant, Jason Robinson, Lynton Bond, Bruce Taloni, Tom Baker, Maryke Booth, Sandra Lloyd, John Bruggeman and Claudia Nye.
Funding acknowledgements
The Molonglo Catchment Group was supported by the ACT Government through the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust and the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality under the Getting Equipped program, another Living Environment Project.
Additional support is provided by the Murrumbidgee CMA by locating the Coordinator in the CMA’s Queanbeyan Office. Funding was also provided by the Queanbeyan City Council, ACT Government, Cooma-Monaro Shire Council, Landcare Australia Ltd and Australia Post for developing this package.
Disclaimer
The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and information accurate at the time of writing (November 2007). However, users are reminded of the need to ensure that information on which they rely is up to date and to check the currency of the information with the Molonglo Conservation Group or the appropriate authority as specified in the package.