Section 5 Case studies - Weeds Australia

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<strong>Case</strong> Study 8 Emergency planning for new serrated tussock infestations Summary An emergency response plan – drawing on local, regional, state and national management resources – has been developed and applied following the discovery of a single serrated tussock plant on a Tasmanian roadside more than 100 km from the nearest known infestation. The plan identifies the stakeholders and the actions they need to undertake in order to manage the infestation site and prevent spread. The problem A passing motorist spotted a flowering serrated tussock plant growing on a highway embankment in Tasmania’s north-west, more than 100 km from the nearest known infestation. The plant was growing in a major transport corridor, with multiple land managers at or near the site. There was therefore an urgent need to control the plant, survey surrounding areas, determine the source of the infestation, inform and bring together key stakeholders, and develop a longterm hygiene and monitoring strategy to prevent further infestation. The approach The Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water (DPIW) was informed of the discovery by the regional Natural Resource Management (NRM) weed officer, who had himself been contacted by a local agricultural supply company which had been given a sample of the plant by the motorist. Confirmation of the plant’s identity resulted in the implementation of an emergency response plan. The first step was to identify all the stakeholders responsible for managing the site and adjacent land. In this case it included the state agency responsible for highway management (and more importantly, the contractor they employed to manage the roadside reserve), the local government, the regional NRM organisation, and the owners of surrounding private property. An on-site meeting was organised for DPIW staff, weed managers from the NRM region and local government, and the contractor. The purpose was to inform managers of the exact location of the serrated tussock plant, undertake physical control of any other serrated tussock plants, and provide training in identification. This meeting took place within 72 hours of the original notification, and provided an excellent opportunity to discuss future site management and hygiene protocols Key messages • Investing in the training of land managers in serrated tussock identification can prevent new infestations and protect valuable industries. • Developing early response plans with clearly defined roles is valuable in order to manage new infestations, especially where there are multiple land managers involved. • Cooperation between different levels of government and land management significantly increases the chances of success. • Communicating with all stakeholders is vital if new infestations are to be appropriately managed. • Eradication sites must be monitored at least twice a year in order to detect new seedlings and prevent seeding. with the contractor. In the following week adjacent land holders were informed of the discovery and provided with identification and management materials. They were also notified that formal property inspections would be undertaken by DPIW staff in the coming weeks. At the time of the initial inspection, six seedlings were identified and removed. It was therefore concluded that the plant must have been present for at least one flowering season prior to detection. Adjacent properties (which included sheep and cattle grazing, and horse stables) were surveyed on foot, with the search radius extending for 1 km from the original infestation. The search was extended downwind from the infestation by an additional 500 m, and any recently cultivated areas within 1.5kms were also surveyed. No other serrated tussock plants were found. All stakeholders were informed of the survey results. Monitoring has continued at six-monthly intervals. In the first six months a further 13 seedlings were removed. In the next (and most recent) six months, 32 seedlings were found. All of these have arisen within two metres of the parent plant. 106
The result No serrated tussock plants have been found near the site and no known flowering has occurred since the original discovery. The contractor continues to apply a hygiene protocol whereby the embankment area is first inspected for flowering serrated tussock and is the last site mown prior to machinery clean down on-site. Local government, NRM and DPIW staff continue to monitor and remove seedlings. Surveying for serrated tussock has been included by local government as a condition of some kinds of development in the area to extend community awareness and detection capability. The future The site will continue to be monitored on a sixmonthly basis for at least the next five years. Land holders will be provided with regular updates, and significant changes in land-use (such as conversion to timber plantation) will require site surveys and the application of strict hygiene protocols. Andrew Crane The isolated Tasmanian serrated tussock site that’s been treated and had regular follow-up to ensure no serrated tussock regrowth. The serrated tussock plant collected from the Tasmanian roadside site for identification and disposal. The large number of seeds emphasises the importance of early detection and followup monitoring of reinvasion. Greg Stewart 107
Page 1 and 2: Section 5 Case studies 1. Changing
Page 3 and 4: Hand pulling: All farm vehicles are
Page 5 and 6: Case Study 2 Pasture management Sum
Page 7 and 8: Case Study 3 Controlling serrated t
Page 9 and 10: Case Study 4 Tackling serrated tuss
Page 11 and 12: Tea tree being used to out-compete
Page 13 and 14: Urban serrated tussock infestations
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Page 17 and 18: The result According to Council, as
Page 19: Results of careful glyphosate spot
Page 23 and 24: Case Study 10 Serrated tussock stra

Section 5 Case studies - Weeds Australia

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