Bushland Weeding Code
Working Bee Calendar 2008

Working bees are held from 10am to noon, usually on the second Sunday each month, except January. Occasionally working bees are held on the first Sunday to avoid holiday weekends and Mothers Day. Bush care and weeding are frequent activities. The heavy jobs, including construction, are done by Council staff. The Friends do the lighter work of bush care, weeding and planting.

 

You are invited to join our working bees at any time. Wear sensible protective clothing, boots and gloves. The Park has a variety of terrain, and can be wet underfoot. Gloves are provided for people using herbicide (swabbing the stumps of woody weeds).

Many individuals also work at other times with Bushcare - either in small groups or on their own.

The Friends vegetation policy is to:

• preserve and enhance existing locally indigenous bushland
• control weeds both exotic and native
• revegetate denuded and degraded areas with appropriate indigenous species
• use minimum disturbance of bushland techniques and Bradley principles for Bushcare
• ensure that those working at Bushcare have appropriate workshop training in plant identification and Bushcare techniques.

Return to top

Bushland Weeding Code

• Follow and promote knowledge of the Bushland Weeding Code:
• Look before you weed—know where the native plants are.
• Choose the most effective and selective weeding technique for the plant and the location.
• Disturb soil as little as possible. Replace any disturbed soil, press it down and replace plant litter.
• Adapt to the season and weather conditions. Don’t pull or grub weeds when the soil is dry and roots break off when pulled, or tramp through when soil is so soft that your feet damage plants at each step.
• Minimise the amount of trampling over the site and scatter the team of workers so that they do not form a new trail. Wear soft soled shoes and clothes which do not carry weed seeds or drag on foliage. Wear gloves.
• Before you pull, grub or poison large weeds, pull the small weeds which are growing underneath them.
• Avoid damage to native plants. Don’t drop or fell large weeds onto native plants or drag boughs through the bush.
• Remove from the bush any parts of weeds which could regrow: ripe fruits, seed heads, bulbs, rhizomes and runners. Break up the rest into small pieces and leave them scattered to form a mulch, especially over the spots where weeds have been removed.
• Do follow up work before moving on to weed a new area.
• Remove weed seeds or bulbils which could scatter into the weeded zone.
• Where native plants are regenerating among dense weeds, clear them some growing space but do not create large openings.

Return to top

 Working Bee Calendar 2008