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Regnans enviro contracting pty ltd

Strictly weeding - With Hobart's Bushcare groups

By Sonya Stallbaum
ENVIRONMENT PROJECT OFFICER
Hobart City Council

This article was first published by the Tasmanian Weed Society inc. in Tas Weeds (Winter 2006)

The Hobart City Council manages over 3,000 ha of bushland from the pinnacle of Mt Wellington to the Derwent, in fact 38% of the total area of the city. Management issues associated with bushland on the urban fringe include increased soil nutrients, domestic and feral animals and land clearing. However, one of the most menacing threats to Hobart's local bushland is weed invasion.

There are currently 15 Bushcare Groups helping to restore Hobart's natural areas and they play a huge role in protecting our native flora and fauna. With the active support of Hobart City Council and a boost from the Federal Government's Envirofund Program, progress has been made in the war against weeds. The Friends of Knocklofty (FoKL) Bushcare Group was one of six Hobart groups to receive an Envirofund grant for environmental works in the last two years.

FoKL are a very active group with a strong membership that has been working at protecting and improving the natural values of Knocklofty Reserve since 1992. Persistence over 13 years has made a huge impression on woody weed infestation but there are some areas that the volunteers have just never been able to get to.

The Envirofund grant was used to employ specialist contractors (Regnans enviro contractors) to remove gorse from the old quarry site at the Poets Road entrance. It was quite a spectacle because the weed contractors accessed the quarry face from a man box that was suspended from a 25 tonne mobile hydraulic crane. From the man box to the crane cabin there was a two-way radio connection so the bush regenerators could instruct the crane operator to move up, down and all around the quarry face.

Project logistics were tricky as works had to be delayed while the ground under the quarry dried out enough to support the weight of the crane and the contractor also had to comply with strict Hobart City Council safety standards. However, once weeding commenced, the job was completed quickly and easily and it has made an enormous difference to the health and appearance of the Poets Road entrance.

Cornelian Bay Bushcare Group are also applying a substantial proportion of their Envirofund grant money towards the weeding of the Cornelian Bay cliffs. This work also requires a specialist weed contractor with the capacity to work safely from steep cliffs. Cotoneaster, red valerian and boxthorn are the major target species at Cornelian Bay. Other current Hobart Envirofund projects include weed control at Cartwright Reserve (Friends of Truganini), Mt Wellington (Wellington Park Bushcare Group) and Ridgeway (Ridgeway Bushcare group).

"When we add up the work achieved by Bushcare Groups over the years they have made a massive impression on ouir bushland" said Lord Mayor Alderman Rob Valentine. "The Envirofund grants provide a big boost to the groups and an opportunity for the larger, more difficult jobs to be undertaken in a more timely manner. They are the type of projects we all dream about achieving so it's great we've been able to facilitate their completion" Alderman Valentine added.

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