Battling Bushland Weeds at Mount Panorama

Weed control is taking place this week in a reserve at Mount Panorama to improve the condition of the Box Gum Grassy Woodland, an endangered vegetation type that once dominated large areas of the landscape within the Bathurst Region.

Noxious and environmental weed control is occurring in the Inner Track Reserve to rehabilitate 25ha of this woodland. Many birds depend on healthy woodlands for survival including the Diamond Firetail, a species of finch whose conservation status is listed as vulnerable in NSW.

Mayor Graeme Hanger OAM said the program is part of a valuable effort to reduce  the  presence  of  weeds throughout the region and greatly welcomed recent grant funding that has been provided to undertake the project.

“The project is supported by Local Land Services through funding from the Australian Government,” he said.

The weeds that are being targeted are forming a mid-canopy that is altering light  levels,  restricting  native  regeneration,  and providing excessive amounts of fleshy fruit resulting in an increase in exotic bird species.

These  weeds  will  be  replaced  with  dense prickly native shrubs such as Kangaroo  thorn and Bursaria, which will be planted in clusters to provide habitat for small woodland birds as well as reduce the potential for future weed re-invasion and erosion. Revegetation is proposed for Autumn 2018.