RECENT wet and warm conditions have driven a spread in the weed Paterson’s curse throughout Gunbower Forest.
At Cemetery Bend on the River Track, a 3 sq km area is blanketed with the attractive purple flower, but the declared weed is present to some degree along every forest track, according to local resident Geoff Wakeman.
Mr Wakeman said he had never seen so much Paterson’s curse in the forest and was deeply concerned about the weed’s continuing spread.
“It didn’t register until probably three weeks ago just how bad it’s suddenly got,” he said.
“There’s clumps of it everywhere — it’s in every single track, but at the moment it’s probably restricted to about 50 metres each side of the track.”
An annual winter herb that originated in Europe, Paterson’s curse is a prolific spreader that crowds out native species and is toxic to grazing animals.
It has taken off around southern Australia and spread to varying degrees in the past few months.
Each plant can produce up to 5000 seeds a year and these can survive dormant in the soil for up to five years.
Mr Wakeman, who is critical of the management of Gunbower Forest, believes not enough is being done about the pest plant.
“Somebody has to make an effort (to control it),” he said.
“At the moment everyone’s pointing at someone else and nothing’s been done.”
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), which manages the forest, acknowledged the issue but said control was difficult given an established seedbeed and ideal growing conditions.
“Wet and warm weather conditions over winter and spring have created ideal growing conditions for Paterson’s curse in Gunbower National Park and State Forest,” DELWP acting Murray Goldfields manager James Marshall said.
“Staff have cut and slashed the weeds at high visitation and camping areas to reduce the impact on visitors.
“DELWP crews have also recently undertaken some roadside spraying of weeds on (Gunbower) island to reduce the dispersion of seeds during other land management works, such as grading roads and slashing verges.”
Mr Wakeman, a critic of environmental watering, said that wind, animals and vehicles were spreading the weed.
He argued that with Paterson’s curse present in dry creek runners, forest flooding would carry its seed down the creeks and spread across the forest.
“Where the runners are the water’s going to come through and pick it up,” he said.
“There’s no doubt vehicles have carried the seed but it’s the next stage, the watering, which will spread it beyond imagination.”
DELWP said that while Paterson’s curse and other weeds had been sprayed on Gunbower Island in previous years, invasive species on public land were tackled “on a priority basis”.
