Annual Weed Control Program - Natural Areas and Parks
Weed Management Practices
The City of Melville uses a number of techniques and strategies to control weeds for practical and effective long term outcomes, usually in combination, these include:
- Hand weeding
- Slashing/Brush cutting
- Herbicide application
- Injection of tree stumps.
Natural Areas (Bushlands, Wetlands and Foreshore) - Herbicide Control Program
The City of Melville Bushland staff, with the assistance of qualified bushland contractors, undertakes herbicide control to manage annual and perennial weeds in the City’s natural area reserves.
- Appropriate signage will be displayed on vehicles and in strategic locations while works are in progress
- Staff and contractors will be using current Best Management Practices to avoid any off-target damage
- The inclusion of dyes with herbicides will be used to identify areas that have been treated.
- PLEASE NOTE: Weekend work will be carried out as required
Specific herbicides used include:
- Fusilade Forte® (Fluazifop-p), a grass specific herbicide, is used to target grass weeds such as Perennial Veldt Grass in bushlands
- Round Up® Biactive (Glyphosate) and Metsulfuron is used to target bulbous and spring growing weeds in bushlands
The methods and chemical concentrations that we employ are considered Best Practice Management and are only applied when required and done in a safe and responsible manner.
Spraying Times and Locations
28 - 29 October 2021, the City will be continuing its winter treatment program. During this week treatments will be carried out within
- Quenda Wetland
- Point Walter Bushland
- Blue Gum
- Booragoon Lake
- Bob Crawford Reserve
- Carawatha Bushland
Parks - Herbicide Control Program
The City's Parks team, with the assistance of registered spray contractors, undertake selective herbicide control to manage weeds in accordance with the manufacturer's label instructions within the City’s Active and Passive parks.
During the course of our Parks weed control program, the following precautions are taken;
- Appropriate signage is displayed on vehicles and in strategic locations while works are in progress, stating the chemical name being used
- Signage will remain in place until any surface to which it was applied is dry
- Staff and contractors use current Best Management Practice to avoid any off-target damage
Parks Spraying Times and Locations
Spot spraying of Glyphosate and Fusilade will occur as required throughout the year.
Broadacre herbicide spraying will commence July through to September 2021, weather dependent.
Streetscapes - Herbicide Control Program
The City’s road reserves are treated with a non-selective herbicide; this includes kerb lines, footpaths, medians, round-abouts and buffer zones, during the course of our streetscapes weed control program (throughout the year dependant on weather conditions);
- Appropriate signage is displayed on vehicles while works are in progress, stating the chemical name being used
- Staff and contractors use current Best Management Practices to avoid any off-target damage
Spraying Times and Locations
The City’s road reserve weed spraying contractor will be treating public access ways citywide the week beginning Monday 27 September 2021 weather permitting.
Glyphosate
The City of Melville is guided by regulatory advice from the Department of Health (DOH) and the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) in relation to the use of glyphosate. The DOH advises that a recent review by the APVMA is that products containing glyphosate are safe to use, when used in accordance with the label instructions. The APVMA review considered the 2015 International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) assessment and concluded that the scientific weight of evidence indicates that exposure to glyphosate does not pose a carcinogenic or genotoxic risk to humans.
Guided by the APVMA and the DOH on the use of glyphosate, the City will continue to use glyphosate for weed control in selected areas in accordance with best practice procedures and in a safe and careful manner. All pesticides used by the City and its contractors are approved by the APVMA and are applied in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions by staff who are trained in safe and proper application.
A fact sheet on Glyphosate Safety and Use is available should you wish to refer to it and details regarding the registration of products, registration and assessment of glyphosate are also available from the APVMA.
Please note that if requested by a resident, the City will avoid spraying adjacent to their property.