Takaka Hill gets another control sweep for old man's beard vines

Thursday, 28 June 2018

Work to wipe out out a noxious vine on the Takaka Hill has been a success this year, a pest eradication group says.

Project De-Vine Trust's work continues wiping out two noxious plants around Abel Tasman National Park, Motueka and Golden Bay.

Chairman Chris Rowse said workers and contractors had been spraying banana passionfruit and old man's beard vines hanging off trees on the edges of a 2km stretch of the road on the Takaka side, and about 5km on the Riwaka side.

The old man's beard eradication had gone 'surprisingly well', due to a decent run of early winter weather.

This was despite damage to the Takaka Hill road from ex-tropical cyclone Gita, but he said the area between the traffic lights was excluded due to instability concerns.

The non-profit group, which evolved out of the Rocklands Rd Weedbusters a decade ago, has extended its work across Golden Bay and, in recent years, into the Riwaka and Marahau valleys.

It has worked with the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), which managed the State Highway, to develop a plan to tackle Takaka Hill's roadside weeds.

The sweep has built on the success of last year's initial vine knock-down, and Rowse said the results would be evident soon.

'The team were able to do much more hand cut work along the lower end of the Riwaka side and many of the remaining large canopies can be seen dying at the moment. Sections higher up will show the result soon,' he said.

The team at NZTA had been 'very supportive' of the work and Rowse said they expected to be back next year for a 'mopping up session' and to deal with the area between the traffic lights.

'We are expecting a large number of pest vine seedlings around and on the slips,' he said.

Key representatives from Project De-Vine, Department of Conservation, Tasman District Council, Project Janszoon and Landcare Trust would be meeting soon to work out a plan to eventually control the pest vines, primarily old man's beard, in the area between State Highway 60 and Abel Tasman National Park.

An assessment was the most likely first step with a possible application to follow for funding to assist the many landowners with the vines.

Rowse said any assistance landowners could give now with control work would help the long term aim to protect Abel Tasman National Park from seeding these invasive plants.

'The Marahau Sandy Bay Residents and Ratepayers Association have been active with working bees,' he said.

'Project De-Vine is able to provide free gel bottles to poison the vine stems you cut. We just need to drop them off near to the highway to suit.'