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is a threattonativevegetation.
nightshade
NOTWANTED:Woolly
Moretrees andfewer
pest plantsis the aim
Part of Franklin is about to get a
whole lot greener and a lot less
woolly.
The Baldhill (Whakaupoko)
Landcare group is about to receive
over $15,000 from DoC for native
trees to plant in the Pukeowarearea.
At the same time, the group is get-
ting behind an Environment Wai-
kato and Auckland Regional Council
initiative to wipe out woolly night-
shade.
The main focus for the landcare
group is to encourage more native
flora and bird species in the area,
and the funding will help their
revegetation planning, says co-
ordinator Andrew Sinclair.
Getting rid of woolly nightshade, a
threat to native vegetation and a
pest on farmland and in gardens,
will also help them achieve their
aims.
"It is a weed that creai;esa signifr-
cant problem with revegetation
projects as it grows so fast, at over
4m a yeat. The other downsideis its
ability to spread extremely rapidly
via a range of birds that enjoy the
berries," says Mr Sinclair.
"With native bird numbers on the
increaseone option is to shoot all the
birds but we think getting rid of the
woolly nightshade is a much better
solution. We see that elimination
from the area is a feasible option if
the problem is tackled by everyone."
The group is holding a hands-on
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i,rilt is a weedthat createsa
significant problem with
revegetation proiectsas it growsso
fast,at over4ma year
- AndrewSinclair
woolly nightshade weed control
morning ihis Sunday at various
properties along Baldhill Rd.
Interested people can meet the
group at 9am at Pukeoware School,
with gloves and loppers if available.
There are several options for
controlling woolly nightshade.
If plants are small enough they
can be pulled out, where there are
too many seedlings they can be
sprayed and iarger trees can have
the stems broken or cut and then the
stump painted rn'ith a brushkiller
mix.
Where there have been mature
trees significant follow-up is
required, due to seed germination
underneath.
Landcare groups are partnerships
where farmers work together to take
action on local environmental issues.
The Baldhill group covers an area ol
more than 2500ha.
Becauseof a dominanceof Taraire,
it is a key breeding area for kereru
(woodpigeon),and a range ofcontour
and soil types support a diverse
range of native vegetatron.