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Grants Available For Wellington Landholders

Wellington Shire Council is encouraging landholders to apply for grants for free herbicide and native plants to improve the condition of their roadsides as part of the Weeds for Trees program.

By news@gippsland - 8th July 2005 - Back to News

Landholders are responsible for regionally controlled weeds on roadsides adjoining their properties and under this scheme herbicides and limited spray equipment can be available to individuals and groups for approved weed control.

Application forms for the 2005 rounds of funding will be sent out to all eligible rural landholders in the coming weeks.

The Weeds for Trees initiative is coordinated jointly by the council, the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and Landcare, and is part of the Wellington Weed Free project which is funded by the Victorian Government’s Tackling Weeds on Private Land Initiative – Local Government Weed Management Grant Program.

The main weeds targeted in the program are Blackberry, Ragwort, St Johns Wort, Patterson’s Curse, Boxthorn and Bridal Creeper, but serious infestations of other weeds can be considered. In conjunction with roadside spraying, Landcare provide indigenous plants for revegetating suitable roadsides to promote biodiversity.

Since the program’s inception in 2001, over 1100km of roadsides have been cleared of weeds and over 45,000 native trees have been planted. This is an enormous contribution towards strengthening biodiversity across the Wellington Shire area.

For more information on Weeds for Trees or the Wellington Weed Free project, contact Annie Lamb on 1300 366 244.

Said Wellington’s Mayor Peter Gault: "This council is committed to preserving our natural resources, including bushlands, which means doing whatever we can to address the menace of weeds. Assisting rural landholders where we can under the Weeds for Trees initiative and our other environmental programs is just one of many ways the shire works towards preserving the environment."

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com