28 September 2010
Waipa District Council parks and reserve staff have joined forces with Conservation Volunteers New Zealand to carryout an intensive weed control programme that will rid Yarndley’s Bush of wandering jew.
Conservation Volunteers has offices in Auckland, Hamilton, Christchurch and Punakaiki on the West Coast of the South Island. They work with Councils, Department of Conservation, Environment Waikato and corporate businesses to identify and support priority conservation projects.
In 2009 the Council approached Conservation Volunteers to discuss working together on a weed control programme to eliminate wandering jew at Yarndley’s Bush and some of the district’s peat lakes.
Council’s manager community facilities Tony Roxburgh said wandering jew forms dense ground cover that stops seedlings from getting established, preventing forest regeneration and dispersal, and natural competition between species.
He said work to remove it can be very labour intensive because Council does not use herbicides to control the weed when it is covering a large area.
“Spraying herbicide over a large area is potentially dangerous because it could make contact with the mature Kahikatea trees. The weed is removed by hand by pulling or rolling it up into balls. It is then removed from the area. Small, regenerating weeds can be successfully treated by spot spraying with selected herbicides.
“Yarndley's Bush is one of the largest remaining Kahikatea forests in the Waikato. Kahikatea take a long time to fully mature and can live for over 500 years. We use a weed control programme that ensures the forest will remain unharmed for future generations,” Mr Roxburgh said.
Mr Roxburgh said the relationship Council has with Conservation Volunteers was invaluable. In the last year, the weed control programme had removed extensive areas of wandering jew.
“If Council had to pay for this work it would cost thousands of dollars. We are very grateful to Conservation Volunteers for their assistance, expertise and passion for protecting the Waipa district’s unique environmental heritage.”
Conservation Volunteers New Zealand and Waipa District Council parks and reserve staff will be removing wandering jew from Yarndley’s Bush on Friday, 01 October.
For more information, please contact:
Jacqui Humm, Ph: 07 872 0062 or 027 532 1760
Email: jacqui.humm@waipadc.govt.nz