Deeper Read – Looking after Remnant vegetation: Bush regeneration principles

Bush Regeneration Methods – MANAGING ENVIRONMENTAL WEEDS IN REMNANT VEGETATION

• Weeds tend to invade native vegetation when it is disturbed, so avoid disturbing it — keep to tracks, keep heavy machinery use to a minimum, do not overgraze, and do not over-burn. 
• Use weed removal techniques that require the least disturbance (e.g. cutting and poisoning and injecting trees rather than bulldozing — see Figure 2)???.
• Remove environmental weeds from native vegetation before they have become established. If they have set and dropped seed, more seedlings will germinate, requiring removal. If weeds can be removed before they drop seed, the work needed to restore the native vegetation will be greatly reduced.
• Remove environmental weeds from gardens or farm plantings.
• Find out about bush regeneration, this is particularly important if an area is heavily infested with weeds.
• Become more familiar with locally native plants so that weeds will be recognised.
• When planting windbreaks and shelter belts check that you are not planting environmental weeds. Planting locally native species is safest and has many other benefits.
• When planting near bush use locally native species from locally collected seed, to avoid altering the gene pool (i.e. ‘genetic pollution’).
• Weed invasion is usually worst around the edges of remnant vegetation. Try to minimise the length of the edges of areas of remnant vegetation (blocks have less edge than strips) and join isolated patches. 
• When using heavy machinery or vehicles from a different area, wash them down off site to reduce the likelihood of introducing new weeds to your area.
• Avoid having bare earth, spreading mulch or planting fast growing species can help to reduce this. A lot of weeds are pioneer species so will invade bare patches of ground rapidly.

Bush regeneration: how to prioritise your site (~8 minutes)