Attachment 1 to Item 53 - Roadside Vegetation Management Plan

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H AW K E S B U R Y C IT Y C O U N C IL R O AD S ID E V E G E T AT IO N M AN AG E M E N T P L AN minimum. In addition, earthmoving machinery should be properly maintained to minimise the spread of weeds or plant pathogens (e.g. Phytophthora). It is recommended that utilities are made aware of this RVMP and that they follow actions identified in the RVMP to prevent the spread of weeds and plant pathogens along roadsides. 3.14 LANDUSE (AGRICULTURAL USE – TRAVELLING STOCK ROUTES) The use of rural roadside environments as travelling stock routes are allowable under the RLP Act, and stock permits can be issued by HCC to facilitate this. Permits allow stock to walk or graze within rural roadside environments, and, within low conservation value roadsides, where rare, threatened or significant vegetation are less likely to occur, grazing by stock can be an effective means of reducing fuel loads. However, care must be taken to ensure that roadside environments are protected from damage by grazing stock. Stock may directly damage rare, threatened or significant plants and ringbark trees, which decreases biodiversity. They may also contribute to changes in the nutrient status of soil, leaving roadside environments more vulnerable to weed invasion, contribute to erosion, and change local hydrology. 3.15 EDUCATION / COMMUNITY AWARENESS, TRAINING Central to the protection and maintenance of native vegetation on roadsides, is the education of road users and workers of the need to preserve, protect and enhance the roadside vegetation. Road users and workers include Council staff, contractors operating within the road reserves, utility agencies operating within the road reserves, emergency service personal, planners, people who are planning works within road reserves, and adjacent property owners. Education and community awareness initiatives, as well as training for road users should be considered by the HCC. An important component of this Roadside Management Plan is the information brochure and signage strategy. These aim to make road users aware of sensitive areas and the importance of roadsides in biodiversity conservation. © E C O L O G I C AL AU S T R AL I A P T Y L T D 33
H AW K E S B U R Y C IT Y C O U N C IL R O AD S ID E V E G E T AT IO N M AN AG E M E N T P L AN 4 Methods for Developing This Roadside Vegetation Management Plan 4.1 DATA AUDIT AND LITERATURE REVIEW 4.1.1 Data Layers Reviewed Data layers reviewed include the following: • HCC Updated Vegetation Mapping (HCC 2007a); • HCC Conservation Significance Assessment Mapping (HCC 2007b); • Atlas of NSW Wildlife Records (DECCW 2009); • Ownership, property boundaries and cadastre; • Roads; • Waterways; • Geology; • Soil landscapes; The layers (shapefile (ESRI) format) were reviewed within ArcGIS. Aerial imagery of the Hawkesbury LGA (Virtual Earth) was also reviewed to investigate the extent of vegetation cover, landscape features, land use, and other possible management issues surrounding rural roads within the Hawkesbury LGA. 4.1.2 Literature Supplied and Reviewed A number of documents were supplied by HCC, and a number were sourced by Eco Logical Australia. These included: • Bass Coast Shire Council Roadside Management Plan (BCSC 2003); • Bega Valley Shire Council Guide to the Management of Roadside Sites with Significant Roadside Vegetation (BVSC 2004); • City of Casey Roadside Vegetation Management Plan (Ecology Australia 2002); • Greater Shepparton City Council Roadside Management Strategy (GSCC 2008a); • Greater Shepparton City Council Community Roadside Management Handbook (GSCC 2008b); • Greater Shepparton City Council Roadside Environmental Code of Practice Handbook – Road Construction and Maintenance Contractors and Workers (GSCC 2008c); • Hunter Councils Roadside Strategy (HCCREMS 2007); • Hunter Councils Roadside Environment Guides 1 to 13 (HCCREMS 2009a-m); • Kangaroo Island Council Roadside Vegetation Management Plan (KIC 2007); • Surf Coast Shire Rural Roadside Management Strategy (SCS 2003a); and • Surf Coast Shire Code of Environmental Practice for Works on Rural Roadsides (SCS 2003b). The documents were generally Local Council Roadside Vegetation Management Plans and Codes of Practices for the management of roadside vegetation for LGAs in Victoria, although there were also © E C O L O G I C AL AU S T R AL I A P T Y L T D 34
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Attachment 1 to Item 53 - Roadside Vegetation Management Plan

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