Preventing the Spread of Weeds

Weed management is now an essential component of quarry management with Work Authority holders having specific requirements under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Th e following article looks at how sites can prevent the transfer of weeds on or off their site via mobile plant. Reporter SARAH ANDREW, CMPA Project Manager.

REGULAR readers of Sand & Stone (and its predecessor, CMPA News) would be aware that there are legal requirements upon Work Authorities covering the management of weeds under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (CaLP Act).

Section 71(c) of the CaLP Act states, “A person must not, without a permit from the Secretary, remove or cause to be removed or sell soil, sand, gravel or stone which contains or is likely to contain any part of a noxious week or which comes from land on which noxious weeds grow”.

This requirement is managed by the Department of Primary Industries, however this may be undertaken by an inspector from Minerals & Petroleum or from another division of the DPI.

WHAT IS A WEED?

The word ‘weed’ is used for any plant that is growing where it is not wanted, but under the CaLP Act specific plant species are declared by law to be noxious. There are four categories of declared noxious weeds: state prohibited weeds; regionally prohibited weeds; regionally controlled weeds; and restricted weeds.

Fact sheets detailing all of the different weeds and providing information such as a description of the plant, its dispersal and control methods are available from the DPI’s weed website:

www.dpi.vic.gov.au/weeds In addition, the ‘Weed Stop’ program has a number of courses and training sessions available that can provide additional information.

HOW DO WE MANAGE WEEDS?

Managing weeds primarily depends on the weeds that are found onsite. The first step is to identify what weeds are onsite. It would be time well spent to have an employee, with a sound knowledge of weed identification, or engage an environmental contractor to survey the area and map out the weed species.

Once this is done a weed control plan needs to be developed for the weed species that are present. Weeds differ in the best methods and time for destruction so it is best to talk to your local weed specialist or look up the fact sheet for the particular weed.

If you identify a declared noxious weed on a Work Authority site, a permit is required for that site to continue to operate without committing an offense under the CaLP Act.

To organise a permit, contact a local Pest Management Officer at the DPI.

PREVENTING WEEDS FROM MOVING ON AND OFF SITE

Works that are off-road, disturb soil or vegetation or are in an area where weeds are present need to implement clean-down procedures. This could involve inspecting the vehicle for signs of plant material and/or soil, to brushing down the vehicle or implementing full clean-down using wash down or blow down techniques.

Key points in managing wash down sites include:

• Record clean-down sites for future monitoring and weed control
• Cleaning-down equipment is often best undertaken in the field rather than moving elsewhere
• Clean-down procedures must be simple and effective if they are to be used in the field.

More information can be found on the DPI’s website www.dpi.vic.gov.au/weeds or by phoning the Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

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