October 28, 2015
In the last three years the South Burnett Regional Council has treated 712ha of lantana on roadsides and reserves.
This is an area roughly equivalent to 1700km of roadway with 2m deep lantana on both road edges, and was more than the distance from Murgon to Cairns, Natural Resources Portfolio chair Cr Kathy Duff told Wednesday’s Council meeting.
Cr Duff said Council’s lantana herbicide treatment program aimed to eventually treat all roadsides and reserves in the region.
In the last financial year alone, contractors had undertaken 320ha of weed control, tackling both declared weeds and weeds of national significance using low volume herbicide treatments delivered with gas-powered splatter guns.
Cr Duff said this new technique was not only more effective, but had also reduced the volume of herbicide being put into the landscape by 21 times compared to spraying techniques.
Cr Barry Green said he had noticed how effective the weed control program had been, particularly against lantana.
“But what do we do about property owners?” he asked.
“I’ve seen road reserves where everything on Council’s side is clear, but you can see the lantana growing just over the fence on someone’s private property.
“We’re fighting a losing battle unless we can get property owners involved.”
Cr Duff said Council was happy to loan the splatter guns to property owners at no charge, and also happy to share its anti-lantana herbicide formula with them.
She agreed the involvement of property owners was essential in Council’s weed control efforts.
“I think we need to publicise this a bit better,” she said.
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Maidenwell’s Coomba Falls could be a risky place to enjoy a summer barbecue.
Cr Duff said Council’s controlled burn program across 10 Council reserves identified as having a medium to high fire risk had been completed as part of the State-wide Operation Cool Burn program.
However Coomba Falls Reserve missed out because of unfavourable weather conditions, and will now not be burned until 2016.
Safer places to hold a barbecue are reserves at Booie, Malar, Maidenwell, Mt Stanley, Nanango Fauna, Proston Town Common, Staines Road, Wondai East and Showground, Wondai West and Boondooma Dam.
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K&S Contracting, which won a tender let by Council’s Pest Management Services earlier this year, began their work on September 1.
Cr Duff said the contractors have completed treatment of Mother Of Millions infestations in the region, and are currently working on Cats Claw Creeper at Goodger wetlands, Kingaroy’s Carroll Nature Reserve and in Proston.
K&S Contracting will also treat Groundsel at the Wooroolin wetlands, Murgon and Oakey Creek; Tree Pear at Maidenwell and the Booie Reserve; and Madeira Vine at the Wooroolin wetlands.
Treatment of declared weeds on the Kingaroy-Kilkivan Rail Trail will also begin this week, starting at Transmitter Road in Wooroolin and continuing south to Kingaroy.
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More than 1000 dry vine rainforest plants have been sewn at Boat Mountain at the Levers Road Reserve, directly above the 2013 landslip, and also at the Crownthorpe Reserve.
Planting will continue in vegetation corridors around Boat Mountain National Park and the Jack Smith Scrub Reserve, Cr Duff said.
Another 50 eucalypt forest species were planted at Kingaroy State School.
The Council will also begin planting 500 assorted trees and shrubs along the Kingaroy-Kilkivan Rail Trail between Kingaroy and Transmitter Road at Wooroolin this week.
The species that are planted will be determined by the ecosystems the Trail passes through.
Completion of the project is expected to take a fortnight.
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A total of 51 landholders and 133 properties participated in September’s coordinated Wild Dog, Feral Pig and Feral Cat baiting program, Cr Duff told Wednesday’s meeting.
Landholders distributed 2608 dog baits, 912 pig baits and 10 cat baits over an area of 67,000ha.
This time Council also trialled a new program where landholders had the option of purchasing baiting meat and being supplied with ready-to-go baits from Council at the baiting station, rather than having to purchase their own meat baits elsewhere.
Twenty-three of the 51 landholders – almost 45 per cent – preferred this option.
