Bushland Weeds Manual - Environmental Weeds Action Network

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6 Chapter 2 Managing Weeds in Bushland Regional information Australia is divided up into a series of natural regions. The Swan Coastal Plain and the Wheatbelt are two such regions within Western Australia from where case studies in the text have been drawn. An understanding of a bushland’s natural values in relation to others in the region provides information on the area’s significance. For example, a bushland may be representative of the more common or rare plant communities in the region. It is important to note that the rarest communities (Threatened Ecological Communities) and flora (Declared Rare Flora – DRF), are protected by laws, either at the state (DRF) or the federal (communities) level. Bush Forever, Volume 2 – Directory of Bush Forever Sites (Government of Western Australia 2000) catalogues information on regionally significant bushland on the Swan Coastal Plain. It provides details on the area of the bushland type that remains uncleared in the region, how much is in conservation reserves, the quality and condition of those bushlands, and where similar bushland can be found. This type of information is important in providing a focus for weed management work, and in gaining an understanding of bushland values that require protection (Keighery et al. 1998). Note: Bushland restoration carried out where rare flora occurs requires a permit from the Department of Conservation and Land Management (DCLM). Developing a weed management program Resources for bushland restoration work are generally limited. It is critical that these resources are carefully targeted through strategies that prioritise management actions, based on a knowledge of the bushland area and the weeds that are impacting on it. Central to these strategies are a series of principles that are fundamental to successful weed management. Many of the case studies throughout this manual demonstrate the application of these principles: • Contain the spread of serious weeds and protect intact bushland. Consider the impacts of serious weeds on rare flora and rare plant communities. • Prevent new weed species establishing. • Consider restoration of degraded edges. Usually this is of lower priority than protection of good areas. Often though, degraded edges harbour serious weeds, providing a source of propagules that continually disperse into intact areas. Implementation – taking an integrated approach Prevent new weeds from establishing • Clean tools, boots, equipment and machinery between jobs to reduce risk of spread between sites. • Practise soil hygiene. • Check paving materials before bringing on to a site, particularly limestone, for weed seed and only acquire from accredited clean sources. Black Flag (Ferraria crispa), Geraldton Carnation Weed (Euphorbia terracina) and Pretty Betsy (Centranthus rubra) to name a few have been introduced to various bushland sites around Perth in paving materials. • Avoid bringing soil or mulch from elsewhere into bushland. • Know the plants of your bushland (native and introduced) and immediately remove infestations of any new weeds. This is important at individual sites but also at a regional and state level. See case study 5.2 on Holly-leafed Senecio (Senecio glastifolius) a recent invader to south west Western Australia. Limit the spread of established weeds • Target small populations in good bush and the outliers of dense infestations - use the maps (Box 2.1). • Keep soil disturbance to a minimum. Disturbance favours the establishment of many weeds. It brings buried weed seed to the surface thereby releasing dormancy, and creates favourable conditions for the germination of wind dispersed weed seed. • Avoid working in areas where weeds are actively shedding seed. • Post-fire conditions (space, light and high nutrient availability) often favour establishment of weeds. Weed control in the season immediately following fire will prevent seed set in established weeds and reduce germinating weed seedlings. It will limit the inevitable spread of many serious bushland weeds through the post-fire landscape. See Box 4.2 on fire and cormous and bulbous weeds, Box 5.1 on the weeds that move in with soil disturbance, and Box 3.5 on limiting the spread of Perennial Veldgrass following fire.
Chapter 2 Managing Weeds in Bushland Box 2.1 Strategy for the management of Yellow Soldier (Lachenalia reflexa) invading a Banksia woodland at Shenton Bushland. This strategy is simply an illustration of how some of the information covered in this chapter can be used to help set priorities and develop an effective works program. Biology Yellow Soldier flowers in winter and early spring, dying back to a bulb over summer. It sets prolific amounts of viable seed (around 40 seed per flower) and up to 1700 bulbs can occur in four square metres. Seed appears to remain viable in the soil for only a couple of years and may be dispersed by water. Plants are not killed by summer fire, but flower well and are highly visible in the post-fire landscape. In addition high numbers of seedlings have been observed establishing on bare ground left following fire. Suggested Control Methods For isolated plants in sandy soils use a knife to cut the roots and pull out with bulb in July to early August. Trials have shown metsulfuron methyl at 2.5-5 g/ha, applied just before flowering, in late July, provides effective control with little impact on co-occurring native species. Carefully spot spray. Recommended strategy for the effective management of Yellow Soldier and regeneration of the Banksia woodland it is invading Hand-removal of entire populations is time consuming (up to six hours for four square metres) and soil disturbance results in germination of annual weeds. Specifically targeted herbicide treatment is recommended for dense infestations and hand-weeding for isolated plants. The populations on the eastern side of the reserve and at the southern end of the reserve are both relatively small, occurring in very good to excellent condition bushland and should both be high priority for eradication. The larger population of Yellow Soldier on the western side of the bushland is spreading through a more degraded area and is not as high a priority if resources are limited. Following fire, resources should be allocated for control. At this time plants are an easy target for herbicide control and prevention of flowering and seed set will limit establishment in the post-fire landscape. Allow indigenous species to recolonise the treated sites unassisted (Yellow Soldier co-occurs with up to 25 native Figure 1. The distribution of Yellow Soldier • and vegetation condition across Shenton Bushland. Bushland condition species in a 2 m x 2 m plot). very good - excellent fair - good poor very poor 7
Page 1 and 2: Bushland Weeds A practical guide to
Page 3: Acknowledgments This manual is the
Page 6 and 7: iv Introduction The Banksia, Tuart
Page 8 and 9: 2 Chapter 1 The Project Blue Gum La
Page 10 and 11: 4 Chapter 1 The Project Both Arum L
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Page 16 and 17: 10 Chapter 3 Grass Weeds Many grass
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Page 24 and 25: 18 Chapter 3 Grass Weeds Rhizomatou
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Page 38 and 39: 32 Chapter 4 Corms, Bulbs and Tuber
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Chapter 5 Broadleaf Herbs, Sedges a
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58 Chapter 5 Broadleaf Herbs, Sedge
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Chapter 5 Annual Broadleaf Herbs, S
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Chapter 5 Annual Broadleaf Herbs, S
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Chapter 5 Perennial Broadleaf Herbs
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Chapter 5 Perennial Broadleaf Herbs
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90 Chapter 7 Weed Mapping in Remnan
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94 Chapter 8 Herbicide Use in Bushl
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100 Final Note In the end, environm
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102 References 1 Aarssen, L.W., Hal
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104 References 101 Dixon, B. (2002)
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106 References 204 Mann, R. (1998)
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108 307 The Nature Conservancy (200
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