Attachment 1 to Item 53 - Roadside Vegetation Management Plan

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
o surplus material that cannot be recycled into the road pavement or shoulder should
be placed in an appropriate location away from drainage lines and removed to
another maintenance site;
o ensure that continued grading over time does not cause the road profile to become
entrenched below the general level of the surrounding land, thereby creating a
drainage channel. This eventuality needs to be corrected as it will increase flow
volumes at drainage lines and can cause localised flooding, both potential
contributors to soil erosion;
o apply erosion and sediment controls such as sediment fencing, if works are within 20
metres of a waterway, or rainy conditions are expected;
o compact the work area immediately after grading. If moisture content is too low,
apply water or postpone grading until rainfall occurs;
o protect tree trunks and avoid knocking bark off the base of trees with the grader
blade. Damage to the tree trunk can result in disease or decay entering the tree
trunk;
o avoid excavating or piling soil material within tree drip lines;
o avoid pushing loose soil up into native vegetation on the roadside as this
encourages weed invasion;
o turn grading machines only at road intersections, landholder driveways or within the
road envelope; and
o undertake hygiene practices (eg. for the control of Phytophthora) when a new
section of road is graded.
6.4 ENDANGERED ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES AND THREATENED FLORA AND
FAUNA SPECIES
As identified in Section 3.3 and 3.4, a number of EECs and threatened flora and fauna species have
been previously recorded on HCC’s rural roads. Further, Acacia pubescens (Downy Wattle), Grevillea
juniperina spp. juniperina and Persoonia hirsuta ssp. hirsuta (Geebung) were recorded during the
roadside surveys of selected rural roads within the Hawkesbury LGA.
The following actions detail how roadside environments should be managed for the protection of EECs
and threatened flora and fauna species.
• Utilise the results from the roadside vegetation survey to identify where EECs and
threatened species under State and Federal legislation are located and add to this data
when possible;
• Where present
o it is recommended to confine construction or maintenance works to construction or
maintenance area
o Ensure that an assessment is undertaken for the EECs and threatened species present for
any construction or maintenance works;
o develop road maintenance and vegetation management techniques that protect EECs and
threatened species, avoid damage to the EEC and threatened species’ habitat, and
enhance the survival of the EEC and threatened species. HCC may need to consult with
DECCW to determine the requirements of EECs and threatened species;
o minimise native vegetation that must be removed within the road batter;
o avoid disturbing soil with any machinery in the batter outside of the maintenance or
construction zone;
o maintain natural hydrology;
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