5 July 2015

Local community group, the Community Weed Alliance of the Dandenongs (CWAD), is delivering a 3 year, $450,000 project funded by the Australian Governments National Landcare Program to help control the environmental weed Wandering Trad in the Dandenong Ranges.

Local Federal Member, Jason Wood spent an afternoon touring some of the sites with representatives from CWAD to see first-hand the fantastic impact this work has already achieved.

Jason Wood said “Wandering Trad is a huge environmental issue in the Dandenongs. It forms a smothering carpet and displaces native ground cover plants including herbs, grasses and orchids. This funding is a great boost to our local community efforts. It will enable us to literally gain ground from this weed and replace it with native plants to keep the bushland healthy and provide better habitat for our native animals”.

Work on the project started immediately and included mapping of 17 km of stream side infestations of Wandering Trad along Clematis, Sassafrass, Sherbrooke and other creeks. This has been followed by the removal of this weed and other environmental weeds ready for plantings of native vegetation and to allow natural regeneration.

“I am really rapt with the quality and scale of the work that has occurred in this first year and seeing the reduction in the weed and fuel loads along these important waterways and roadsides. The Dandenong’s is a special place with fantastic natural values and the Australian Government working with groups like CWAD are aiming to keep it that way” said Mr Wood.

Jason Wood explained that this project is part of a 3-year, $3 million commitment within the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme for wildlife recovery, weed management and bushfire fuel reduction in the Dandenong Ranges which is being coordinated by the Port Phillip & Westernport CMA.

For more information on the Dandenong Ranges wildlife recovery, weed management and fuel reduction project, contact the Port Phillip & Westernport CMA on 8781 7900.