Over the coming months, invasive plants like Cockspur Coral Tree, Seeded Banana and Long Leaf Willow Primrose are setting seeds and spreading throughout the Shire, posing threats to native vegetation, local waterways and biodiversity.
New signs can be seen in Urunga, Fernmount, Thora and Darkwood, as Bellingen Shire Council works to increase community awareness around these priority species and manage their presence in the area.
Bellingen Shire Council’s General Manager, Mark Griffioen explained that Council employs an Invasive Weeds Team as a part of the Environment and Sustainability department to help control priority weeds.
“A weed is considered a priority species for control in the Bellingen Shire when it poses a high risk to agriculture, the environment, or community assets and meets specific management criteria under the NSW Biosecurity Act,” explained Mr Griffioen.
“Common ‘widespread’ weeds are not listed as priority species as they are already prevalent in the landscape and very unlikely to be eradicated. This makes targeted control less effective in terms of risk reduction and resource use.”
Council’s Invasive Weeds Team is currently focused on educating the community about priority weed species in the Shire, working with landholders to identify priority weeds on private land, and conducting control works on Council land if resourcing is available.
Controlling priority weeds is important due to the impact these species have on our environment. Cockspur coral trees can take over waterways, outcompete native vegetation and impact native wildlife. They disrupt surrounding soil and make it difficult for other vegetation to grow nearby. They are easily found in small clusters from Darkwood all the way to the coast.
Seeded bananas are an ornamental plant that has spread from gardens in the Shire. They produce inedible fruits filled with large seeds. They use up all the nutrients from the soil, restricting the growth of native vegetation around them. These plants are most commonly found on creekbanks, in the shady understory of local bush, or right in your backyard.
Long Leaf Willow Primrose is an aquatic shrub that can reach up to three meters tall, growing in the sandy, silty soil that surrounds local waterways. These shrubs not only impact the habitat and food supply of fish in the rivers but can disrupt the flow of waterways and increase our flood risk.
Mayor, Cr. Steve Allan acknowledges the work of the team as they support weed management and, where possible, weed eradication across the Shire, and encourages the community to get involved.
“Council is committed to protecting and preserving the extraordinary biodiversity in the Bellingen Shire,” said Mayor Allan.
“We are encouraging landholders, community groups and community members to learn about priority weed species and report them to Council. We need the support of the wider community in both reporting and control efforts if we are going to stop the spread of these priority weed species.”
A list of priority weeds that Council is currently focusing on can be found in this brochure.
Residents can report the presence of any priority weeds directly to Council, who also offers an online identification support service on their website.
Cockspur Coral Tree Flower