Council officers from across the Hunter region have championed a collaborative approach to environmental conservation by jointly taking to the sky to combat invasive weeds causing havoc on the ground.
Comprising of councils and large public land managers, the Hunter Regional Weeds Committee uses helicopter surveillance to identify problem areas on the coast, Branxton in the west, Wyee in the south and as far north in Taree.
Hunter Local Land Services General Manager and Hunter Regional Weeds Committee Chair, Brett Miners, said the program demonstrated the effectiveness of a collaborative approach to tackling weeds.
“Utilising technology and combining resources across the region is a great way to combat invasive weeds impacting the Hunter and Mid Coast,” Miners said.
“Identifying priority weed species and working together to control and reduce weed spread benefits the whole community.”
Almost 30 stakeholder groups form the Hunter Regional Weeds Committee, including local councils, Crown Lands, the Australian Rail Track Corporation, Hunter Water, Local Land Services and the NSW Farmers Association.
Aerial inspections by the group have specifically targeted groundsel bush, a dense, woody shrub native to the United States that competes with native vegetation and reduces agricultural land productivity.
“Groundsel bushes are covered in white flowers at this time of year, so they’re very easy to spot from the air,” Lake Macquarie City Council Senior Natural Assets Officer, Dominic Edmonds said.
“Using a helicopter, we can cover the same amount of terrain in a few hours that would take weeks to survey from the ground.”
Crews pay particular attention to bushes along the region’s rail lines, where passing trains blow and spread the shrub’s seeds.
Once identified and mapped, ground crews are sent to eradicate the weed.
Port Stephens Council Environmental Operations Team Leader, Jordan Skinner, said officers were also targeting pampas grass, which outcompetes native vegetation and creates fire hazards.
“This is a really effective, efficient program that limits the spread of these weeds, saving our environment and protecting important agricultural areas,” Skinner said.
Groundsel bush was first introduced to Australia as an ornamental plant in the 1800s, spreading to northern NSW by the mid-1960s.
It tolerates a wide range of soil types and thrives even in waterlogged, acid and saline conditions, posing a significant threat to the Hunter’s protected coastal salt marsh environment.
Skinner said it was gradually moving further south.
“In its native habitat in the United States, it is frost-tolerant and occurs in places where there are regular snowfalls,” he said.
“That means there’s the real possibility of it spreading further inland into colder areas, where it could cause serious issues.”
The program is funded through the Hunter Local Land Services Weeds Action Program.
Aerial surveying is expected to finish up soon, with crews sent out to eliminate the weeds in the coming weeks.
Maia O’Connor