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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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Go to the Wollemi Wanders Website

 


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Following all emergencies people are impacted and need support. This can be in the form of psychological or social support. Contact details are available below, but if you need someone to talk to or are feeling anxious or depressed then please contact one of the organisations below.

 

 


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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.