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You can view the videos at http://sydneyweeds.org.au/category/videos/

The North Coast Weeds Advisory Committee ‘Beware of what you bring home’ weed-warning television advertisement screened on Southern Cross 10 in the viewing area from Grafton to Nambucca during November and December.

To view a low-resolution version click here. (.wmv 1.76 MB)

To view a slightly higher resolution version click here. (.wmv 3.47 MB)

North Coast weed-control authorities inspected more than 110,000 hectares of land in the first eight months of the Weeds Action Plan (WAP).

They discovered dozens of new noxious-weed infestations and began control measures to stop their spread.

The WAP targets high-risk weed pathways and high-priority weeds.

Inspectors from the North Coast Weeds Advisory Committee’s (NCWAC) five local control authorities also checked 7724 kilometres of high-risk pathways, including rivers, roads and creeks, for known high-priority weeds.

They inspected 4414 high-risk sites, totalling 21,964 hectares, for established and emerging high-priority weeds and they inspected 88,329 hectares of priority wetlands.

The inspections included 13,615 private properties across the NCWAC region, which stretches from the Queensland border to Nambucca.

The NCWAC, which was formed 29 years ago, coordinates weed management activities by its regional affiliates, Far North Coast Weeds (FNCW), the Clarence Valley Council, Coffs Harbour City Council, Bellingen Shire Council and Nambucca Shire Council.

Its area of responsibility is 23,500 square kilometres.

Nambucca Shire Council reported successful treatment of water lettuce, kudzu, Mysore thorn and tropical soda apple infestations.

It also reported a massive reduction in the amount of highly toxic glory lily in coastal reserves stretching from Scotts Head in the south to Valla Beach in the north.

Bellingen Shire Council reported the discovery and treatment of tropical soda apple in a State Forest and discovery and treatment of kidney leaf mud plantain in a drainage system at Urunga.

Clarence Valley Council detected about 104 sites of tropical soda apple infestation.

Far North Coast Weeds discovered and contained five new alligator-weed sites and five infestations of tropical soda apple.

A community member reported a new hymenachne site at Kyogle after seeing publicity about the weed and new incursions of Cecropia and kidney leaf mud plantain were detected.

NCWAC chairman and Bellingen Shire councillor Gordon Braithwaite said it was a tremendous start to the project, which took a proactive approach to managing the threat of new invasive plants and the further spread of existing weeds.

“Weeds don’t stop at local-government boundaries,” Cr Braithwaite said.

“Rather than tackling weeds by themselves, local-government authorities have formed an alliance to beat the menace.

“This project will form a model for North Coast weed management of the future.

“Weeds threaten our way of life in the most scenic part of NSW.

“The region is one of the fastest growing areas in the state and it also boasts some of the highest biodiversity values in the state.

“It is characterised by fertile, volcanic and alluvial soils and has the highest rainfall of any area in NSW.

“Fertile soils and high rainfall combined with a subtropical climate provide an extended growing period for weeds, making this region very vulnerable to the invasion of new plant species and further proliferation of existing weeds.”

As part of the WAP, the committee is encouraging the early detection of weeds by producing and distributing information pamphlets about plant menaces such as tropical soda apple, cecropia, kidney leaf mud plantain and miconia.

It is upgrading its web site to include new weed distribution and identification information, contact details and options for reporting new incursions and it is developing a regional mapping program to improve information and resource coordination across the region.

The NSW Government launched the state-wide WAP at the end of last year to provide a more strategic and coordinated approach to weed management as part of the NSW Invasive Species Plan.

The WAP replaces the former grants structure where funding went directly to individual local control authorities.

In the 2010/2011 financial year, the Northern region, administered by the NCWAC, received $892,000 from the State Government and $1,553,299 from councils.

A further four years of funding is to be provided at the same level.

The entire five-year project is to receive almost $5 million from the State Government and more than $6 million from councils.

Future activities include further development of early detection abilities and rapid response to new weeds; continuing inspections of high-risk areas and private landholdings and an extensive community education program.

The NCWAC holds quarterly coordination meetings with input from local control authorities and it employs a project officer to coordinate administration of the project.

For more information and interviews, contact North Coast Weeds Advisory Committee chairman Gordon Braithwaite on (02) 6655 1257, email bello17@bigpond.com ; or Far North Coast Weeds chairman Ernie Bennett on (02) 6664 7291 or 0412 679 294, email ernie@harboursat.com.au .

Queensland authorities launched a national eradication program when they discovered the first and to date only Australian infestation of the plant menace in North Queensland 10 years ago.

Koster’s Curse is a highly invasive shrub, growing up to five metres tall.

Koster's curse seedling

Far North Coast Weeds (FNCW) weed services manager Jim Willmott said this week the plant had the potential to spread rapidly over many parts of Australia.

“It forms dense thickets that can smother pasture and native vegetation in a similar manner to lantana,” Mr Willmott said. “The berries produced are easily spread by birds.

“Koster’s Curse is a new Class 1 pest species for our region. It is quick-growing and could cause major problems for primary industries.

“It will invade disturbed areas including the edges of clearings and stream-banks, along fence lines, paths and roadways.

“With the onset of spring and the increase in cross-border traffic up and down the coast that it brings, we need to be particularly vigilant.”

Mr Willmott said the weed preferred humid tropical lowlands and therefore could spread to humid coastal sites in the Northern Territory, over much of north-east Queensland and down the coast to Northern NSW.

“The most common method of dispersal is via birds that eat the berries, but the fruit may also be spread by water and human intervention, such as in potting material, or mud on machinery or vehicles.

“Koster’s Curse is the target of a national, cost-shared eradication program managed by Biosecurity Queensland (a business group of the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries) with financial support from other states and the Federal Government.”

Mr Willmott said Koster’s Curse was a bushy perennial, evergreen shrub that reached its maximum height in moist, shady conditions. In harsh growing conditions it might appear as a weak and straggly small shrub.

Leaves were elliptical in shape with toothed margins, a wrinkled, papery surface texture and five conspicuous longitudinal veins. Stiff, reddish brown hairs covered the stems and leaves. Leaves were normally 8-10cm long, oppositely arranged and hairier on the under surface.

“Koster’s Curse produces clusters of 6-20 small white flowers in the leaf forks,” he said.

“The flowers are 1-1.5cm in diameter and produce red-purple to blue-black berries, 4-5mm in diameter. The berries are also hairy and turn dark purple on maturity.

“Flowering and fruiting appears to occur all year, except at dry times.

“Reproduction is by seed and each Koster’s Curse plant has the potential to produce 500 berries a year, with each berry containing up to 900 seeds. “The seed can persist in the soil for at least four years. Seedling establishment is also very successful.

“Plants tolerate a range of environmental conditions and reach full maturity in six months.”

Koster’s Curse has a wide native range extending from southern Mexico through Costa Rica to northern Argentina and the West Indies.

It is a serious weed on several tropical oceanic islands such as Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Seychelles, Samoa, and Hawaii.

Koster’s Curse was first found in Australia at a nursery near Julatten, in Mareeba Shire, North Queensland, in 2001.

It is suspected to have entered as a contaminant of packaging material. No other infestations have been found.

“If you think you have seen this weed growing in our region, contact Far North Coast Weeds immediately,” Mr Willmott said.

For more information, contact Jim Willmott at Far North Coast Weeds on 6623 3833.

The fifth edition of the handbook is a guide to weed control in non-crop, aquatic and bushland situations.

Contents include notes on integrated weed management, managing your legal responsibilities in applying pesticides, calibration of equipment, reducing herbicide spray drift, cleaning and decontaminating boom sprays and many other vital topics.

Download the handbook here.