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Himalayan Honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa)

Himalayan Honeysuckle invades sensitive moist bushland such as Blue Mountains swamps where it forms thickets and dense shade, displacing native vegetation. 

A deciduous multi-stemmed shrub to 3 m high. Stems are erect, hollow and bamboo-like. A native of the Himalayas. Leycesteria is a vigorous arching shrub with large, soft green leaves and drooping panicles of white flowers which are followed by clusters of shining dark purple berries spread in December and January by the birds. These plants grow well in the semi-shade of the rainforest.

Fruits are ovoid fleshy berries, dark crimson when ripe. Each fruit contains more than 100 small seeds.

Control

  • The plant should be fully and continuously suppressed and destroyed
  • Dig out, or cut off and poison every stem.
  • Spray large areas November to March.

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Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus agg spp)

Declared a noxious weed.

A native of Europe. Blackberry is an erect scrambling perennial shrub with long arching thorny canes which grow up to 2-3 metres (6ft-10ft) in height and are deciduous on Mount Wilson and Mount Irvine. The many white flowers are followed by berries which are green, turning red then black as they ripen in February and March.

The berries which contain the seeds are spread by birds all over the Mountain and quickly form new plants in ideal conditions. The canes will also grow by suckering, so a large dense prickly bush will soon form.

A combined effort by landowners and the Council is now needed annually to control Blackberry on some private land where it is a big problem, causing continual reinfestation of the reserves and roadsides.

Control

  • Dig out small plants.
  • Spray fruiting plants November to January, non-fruiting plants up to March.
  • Cut crown and poison: For mature plants with a woody crown (root ball) – the cut crown method is very effective. It involves removing soil from the base of the plant where it's coming from the ground and cutting through the crown at the widest point to create maximum surface area to apply herbicide.
  • Scrap and Paint: For all other plants - seedlings, juvenile and mature without accessible root crown, scrape and paint canes. Paint every stem for 300mm (8in- 12in) of its length

Herbicides

  • Spray - Tree and Blackberry killer
  • Paint - Tree and Blackberry killer or Glyphosphate (Roundup)

Please note special care must be taken when using herbicides and especially Glyphosate. The MWPA accepts no responsibility for the use or application of any chemicals. Always check the labels and Safety Data Sheets for all chemicals and use only as directed.   For more details on herbicides refer to the additional information sources below.

Useful Sources of Information:


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White Jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum)

Jasmine provides a very scented and pretty creeper but this needs to be controlled as Jasmine is a serious weed in the Rainforest.

Type of weed: Climber, scrambler or groundcover

Flowering Months: September, October, November

Native of China. A fast growing evergreen climber with small shiny green leaves and white flowers which are pink in bud and sweetly scented. Jasmine spreads by self-layering and occasional setting of seed. It can seriously threaten the rainforest edges of Mt Wilson. This plant has become a big problem in some gardens.

Alert: The flowers can cause allergies in some people.

Don’t confuse with…  Jasmine can be confused with native Wonga Wonga Vine (Pandorea pandorana) before the plant develops the distinctive lobed leaves and before it flowers.

Impact on bushland

Jasmine climbs rapidly into the tree canopy and covers vegetation at all levels, blocking light and restricting the growth and regeneration of native species. Its weight may bring down branches. It is a serious weed of rainforests.

Prevention

  • Keep well pruned

Control

Because of the fine twining stems and vigorous nature of this plant it is hard to eradicate.

  • Dig out or spray December to March.
  • Scrape and paint stems.
  • If the vine has grown up into the canopy of a tree or shrub, cut each of the vine stems about 500 mm above the ground, after scraping and painting above and below the planned cut, to allow the parts in the tree canopy to die. It is important to keep the cut low to allow adequate length of the stems to be reached for re-treatment.

Alternative native plantings

  • Twining Purple Pea (Hardenbergia violacea)
  • Wonga Wonga Vine (Pandorea pandorana)
  • Water Vine (Cissus antarctica)
  • Old Man’s Beard (Clematis aristata) - note: not Clematis cultivars as these can also be environmental weeds.

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Current Bushfire Status

Update about the Gospers Mountain Fire to the north of us, posted Wednesday, 11 December.

Gospers Mountain Bushfire Update - Plan to begin backburning today.

Gospers Mountain Fire on 10 December 2019

The Gospers Mountain bushfire seen yesterday from Smiths Hill was about 6 kms from Mount Irvine

The Fire

While we have a good weather window MWMIRFS Brigade will commence back burning into the area below Mount Irvine today to take advantage of the better conditions for creating a safety burnt area around Mt Irvine. This will involve lighting the bush from the fire trails around Mount Irvine then Mount Wilson to remove the fuel between the villages and the Gospers Mountain fire thereby protecting property in the villages. The back burn is a lower intensity burn usually lit at night and going downhill so as to reduce the impact on the surrounding bush while removing the fuel and protecting the area from the bushfire coming into the villages on a bad day. 

On Tuesday the fire was holding on Bungleboori Creek (see yesterday’s Update map), north of Mt Wilson / Mt Irvine, but quite active on the Newnes Plateau. The back burn started at Mountain Lagoon has progressed as far as Bilpin. After a very hot day yesterday we are entering a good weather window until about Friday.

Access to the Mounts

A road block at Mt Wilson Road and the Bells Line of Road will restrict access to all vehicles other than residents and emergency services. Expect this to be in place for a couple of weeks.

Letters of authority were distributed last night to all residents providing access to named people on the presentation of the letter and ID like a local rates’ notice or a driver’s licence. If you need an authority for anyone else (other than Mount Wilson or Mount Irvine residents) please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. stating: first name, family name and email address. A personalised authority letter will be sent to the nominated person.

The trigger point for fire plans

The start of backburning is the trigger point for people to carry out their fire plans.  If you plan to leave, today is the time to relocate. Leave, stay or come to the Mounts this is also the time to contact your Street Coordinator and tell them what you will be doing. A fire warning message may be sent to all mobile phones in the area when fire reaches a preset zone around both villages . Do not be alarmed by this, just follow the prompts and check with your street coordinator if the situation or conditions may have changed. 

Once backburning starts we will see an increase of smoke in the area. From today expect increased movement of trucks, activity around both community halls and fire stations and road closures in areas as the backburn progress from Mount Irvine to Mount Wilson and on along Mt Wilson Road to Bells Line of Road.

Please slow down on the local roads, if possible pull over and let tucks pass. Do not enter the fire trails or the burn area as there will be many hazards, machinery operating, steep trails, falling trees and hot ash beds.

Anyone who would like to assist with Catering or Station work please contact the Brigade Station Officer on 4756 2168. 

Peter Raines
Senior Deputy Captain
Mt Wilson-Mt Irvine RF Brigade

 

Map of Fires in NSW with the current status of each fire, Fires Near Me.

The map can be zoomed to show fires in our area. 


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Monitor Fire Trails While Walking

Help By Monitoring Fire Trail Condition While Walking

In late 2021 David Howell, Senior Deputy Captain encouraged the Brigade members and the community to walk fire trails in their own time and report any hazards, such as fallen trees, branches or other obstacles which might impede the safe passage of fire trucks or firefighters. As a result, he has developed a system to allow each person to report any problems located on any trail into a spreadsheet.

 

To access this spreadsheet please use this link  and bookmark or save it for future use. You may find you will be asked for a sign in, just click on the link again.

 

There are some considerations to contemplate which are important. You have the option of walking trails taking normal personal responsibility and then reporting anything you find which causes concern by using the link above to access the Fire Trails spreadsheet and enter a brief description of any concerns observed.

 

Or, if you are a Brigade member, you can regard this as a Brigade task attracting the usual RFS protections when we undertake RFS undertakings. If you wish to regard it as a Brigade task:

  1. You must sign in on the attendance book at the Mt Wilson or Mt Irvine Station. Members should know how to access the building from previous briefings. If in doubt, please ask a senior officer.
  2. Contact David Howell on (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), or phone 4756-2091 or 0418 771 664 providing the following details:
    1. When you’re heading off - advising him what trail you’re walking, start time and estimated finish time, who’s in your party.
    2. If you see a fallen tree, branch or other hazard/obstacle make a note, take photos if you can and make a record of the location of the hazard/obstacle(s).
    3. Importantly, when you complete your walk, call or text David to let him know that you’ve safely completed your tasking.
  3. Use the link to access the Fire Trails spreadsheet and enter a brief description of any concerns observed.

 

If you see a tree or branch over the trail, please don’t attempt to remove it unless it is small and light enough to do so safely by hand. Once you report any large tree hazard, the Brigade will arrange for a member certified to use a chainsaw to remove it or if very large, have Council remove it.

 

One suggestion made was that members might like to monitor a particular fire trail. Even though this means we’ll have some regular fire trail walkers, that doesn’t mean that others can’t use those trails.  We encourage members and the community to familiarise themselves with ALL fire trails. The Brigade would like all fire trails to be monitored at regular intervals – say, 6-8 weeks to ensure that we have current information 

 

Any specific questions on this type of tasking please contact David or another senior officer.

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