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End of Calendar Year Report

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ADELAIDE HILLS COUNCIL

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ROADSIDE FUEL REDUCTION INITIATIVE

May 2012 – December 2014

TYPICAL SECTIONS OF ADELAIDE HILLS ROADSIDES

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ROADSIDE FUEL REDUCTION INITIATIVE

….tackling clear and ever-present danger…..

Confronted by a roadside wall of fire

Photos courtesy of Mt Torrens CFS fire truck cam. January 2015

A public road in a high fire risk zone should not be a potential tunnel of fire.

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FOREWORD The context for the Roadside Fuel Reduction Initiative (RFRI) is embedded in our history. Southern and South-eastern Australia were dominated by warm season (C4) active, perennial native grasses prior to the arrival of Anglo-Europeans (from 1836 in South Australia). Summer landscape descriptions of lush green, open woodlands and grasslands are found in almost every explorer, surveyor and botanist reports as well as in many settler’s diaries. Even today, native grasses are the third largest family (out of over 60 families) in good, but modified, remnant woodland vegetation. Because of clearing, cropping and heavy grazing with animals alien to Australia, and, with an Anglo-European farming influence and mind-set, the grassland areas became altered/transformed to cool season (C3) active exotic and C3 native grasses. Of the problematic exotic grasses, Wild Oats were well-established by 1889, Phalaris aquatica sold commercially from 1905, Fog grass from 1875 and Cocksfoot cultivars from 1953: the transformation of road verges to their dominance appears to have only been recognized as a problem post World War II. We know that in Victoria and New South Wales thousands of kilometres of roadsides still hold a high proportion of warm season native grasses such as Red-leg and Kangaroo grass. We know that in many Shires they are alternately slashed and burned when needed to maintain them as a low fuel load, summer green fire buffer. Alas, on the rural roads of the Mt Lofty Ranges we do not have such desirable remnants. So, in this project, we are reconstructing them, principally for our long term safety’s sake - a natural and real fire mitigation action. In 1995 Diana Laidlaw MLC, Minister for Transport and Urban Planning, commissioned Transport SA and Local Government to produce a guidance document for planting of vegetation in road corridors. At the 1996 South Australian Animal and Plant Control Conference, John Beswick, Principal Landscape Architect, Department of Transport, presented “Green-Ways/ For the Planning, Design, Establishment and Management of Vegetation in Road Corridors”, proposing a Code of Practice based on “creating the shape of things to come”. This broad template could not have envisioned native grass being a beneficial fire mitigation agent. But in this unique, breakthrough project for the AHC, we can and indeed will “create the shape of things to come”, just as the Aboriginal people created the landscapes that they needed to live safely and predictably. The historical model gives us sound guidance. Summer-green landscapes of native grasses and companion herbs, scattered trees and copses of shrubs.

Robert (Bob) Myers Rural Landholder

Honorary Life Member, Native Grass Resources Group SA Individual Landcarer Award 2013

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Partner’s field managers Fred Wilkey Fire Prevention Officer AHC, Bob Myers Upper River Torrens Landcare Group and Native Grass Resources Group and Kim Thompson Upper Torrens Land Management Project wish to thank the other partners for their support: AHC Steve Brooks, Marc Le Brun DEWNR James Donnelly, Karren Carman, Rob Murphy, Ian Tanner DPTI Mike Basford, Rachel Hrycuik, Peter Hamnett and Vivien Osborn CFS Brigades of Woodside, Birdwood, Mt Torrens & Forreston

Special thanks to Ken Craig, Mt Torrens (Senior Manager, Business & Manufacturing Management Systems) for advising on the format of the Report and for his expertise for the final flow chart models.

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INTRODUCTION The Mount Lofty Ranges has global status as a high fire risk zone yet high fuel load pasture grasses are to be commonly seen up to two metres high and with dense leaf mass along much of the Adelaide Hills Council’s (AHC) 2600 kilometres network of roads. Apart from some designated freeway and highway sections the responsibility for roadside verge maintenance has fallen to regional councils. It is essentially only for asset production that management of roadside vegetation is funded and provided by councils. The costs to continuously manage these sites are high and rising. Using the techniques applied to these sites universally is economically impractical and unacceptable given unit costs and the need for their continued annual application. The AHC spends well in excess of $1m annually on fire risk reduction and could easily spend more. The methods extend only to mowing and brushcutting. There are alternative approaches. There can be change if a holistic and long term view is taken.

Fuel loads of introduced grasses range from 17 to 30 tonnes/hectare1. This starkly compares to around 2 tonnes/hectare for most native grasses in Southern Australia. Perhaps up to 8 tonnes/hectare for unmanaged Kangaroo grass. The CSIRO recently confirmed its predictions for hotter and drier summers this century and, for South Australia, it is particularly so. Compared to introduced grassland, fire in native grassland is much easier to fight and requires significantly less human and material resources (CFA, Western Victoria). This paper describes how a few visionary, like-minded people enlisted the help of others to conduct a three year trial on eight roadside locations to demonstrate how their composition could be changed from high fuel load introduced pasture grasses to lower fuel load, summer green, native perennial grasses.

SITE MANAGERS’ INDICATIVE REPORT

The Partner group first met on 11/05/2012 where a commitment to act was agreed, trial sites proposed and start-up processes undertaken. The first intervention began on 10/08/2012. The projects short term goal as stated above was to establish that a compositional change from high fuel load, exotic grass vegetation to much lower fuel load, native perennial grass vegetation could be initiated and indicative results seen within a few years. Field experience told Fred Wilkey (who looked at native grasses from 2004) and Bob Myers (who had worked extensively with native grasses, especially warm season species from 1994 to today) that not only could their goal be achieved but that, for many reasons, it had to be.

1. Reseigh, J., Foster, P. and Myers, R.J., (2009) Native Grass Strategy for South Australia 2: Management of native Grasses and Grassy Ecosystems for Sustainable Production and Biodiversity Conservation, Rural Solutions SA, Adelaide.

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The science of ecological restoration and a key paper on Resilience, Adaptability and Transformability in Social-ecological Systems (see References) also told them that their goal could be achieved. As with all change, the more established is the system, the harder it is to enact change. Ideally we needed a 3 year chemical fallow. There was pressure to sow before that!

THE BIG QUESTIONS

Q. So, did a compositional change happen?

Ans: YES

Q. Are the high fuel load exotic grasses (Phalaris, Oats, Cocksfoot & Fog grass) mostly now missing from the sites

Ans: YES

Q. Might they re-emerge? Ans: Perhaps, possibly in very low numbers

Q. Might they re-establish? Ans: Not with attentive management in the early years

The longer term goal is to manage and monitor to assess resilience and persistence of the newly established native grasses in an often hostile environment.

Q. Have hostile indicators emerged already

Ans: YES

What are they? 1. The expected broadleaf weeds 2. Adjacent property with ungrazed (or unmown) weedy grasses setting

seed 3. A soil-stripping torrential rain event 4. Off-target impact from road verge weed contractors 5. Vehicles stopping on or using the clear area to do u-turns 6. Proliferating C4 exotic annual grasses in early summer or after summer

rainfall events 7. Serious rainfall deficits in winter or spring affecting juvenile grass growth

and/or germination

Q. Can these be controlled, eradicated, recovered from or tolerated?

Ans: YES

Q. Are there any early concerns for the young native grasses?

Ans: YES & NO

The short term goal of composition change has been achieved.

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SPIN OFFS THAT WE KNOW OF

This report is eagerly awaited by a neighbouring council.

Following the AHC Community Forum at Lobethal (Nov 13) the Courier reported favourably on the fundamentals of the RFRI.

We have had interest, email and a visit from a Victorian Rural Shire Councillor.

The Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia have approached us to submit details of the RFRI for inclusion on their website. And this was a spin off from a presentation on the RFRI at a Native Grass Researchers Workshop in Melbourne.

11 months after sowing, a first small harvest of Red-leg grass has occurred and a second harvest has taken place.

THE DESIRED OUTCOMES The desired outcomes can be separated into four stages:-

1. Elimination of targeted exotic grasses 2. Changing grass composition to native perennials 3. Maintaining the preponderance of the native grasses 4. A cost/benefits analysis of the proposed establishment and management

method

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SITE LOCATIONS Eight verge sites were chosen (later reduced to 7) with a view to including a range of lengths and breadths and topography (Total Length 1.2 kms, Total Area 6,200m2)

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DETAILS OF THE WORKS The first actions were preparatory:-

1. Set up photographic monitoring points for continuous recording of the actions and outcomes

2. Line trim and brush cut (to make a later burn easier and safer) 3. Burn the site to the ground before the start of the declared bushfire season 4. Identify and record species of weed regrowth 5. Spray regrowth with GlyphosateTM 6. Erect signage at each site

During summer into autumn each site was treated again with GlyphosateTM when necessary and hard hazards (such as pieces of metal and stumps) were removed and the ground levelled where necessary. Prior to sowing adjacent landholders were appraised of the program and feedback was sought.

N.B. Site 3b The Amy Gillett Bikeway will eventually cover 32 kms with a conservative average of 20 metres of verge. That’s 640,000m2 (64ha). It needs its own RFRI or BFRI. There is opportunity and plenty of suitable flat land there to establish many native grass Seed Production Areas (SPA’s).”Models” exist: The Upper Torrens Land Management Project’s SPA’s (for its Grassy Ground cover Restoration Project), the City of Salisbury and DPTI’s (northern) SPA’s and S.A. Water’s Mt Bold & Clarendon SPA’s.

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PROJECT ACTIONS FLOW CHART

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SPECIES SELECTION

Species selection was based on Grasses of South Australia (2006) Jessop, Dashorst & James, Understanding C3 & C4 Native Grass Species (2012) Bennett and Myers and twenty years’ field experience in the Mt Lofty Ranges. Species Selection References

Jessop, J.P., Dashorst, G.R.M., James, F.M. (2006) Grasses of South Australia. An illustrated Guide to the native and naturalised species. Botanic Gardens of Adelaide and State Herbarium. Wakefield Press.

Bennett, Ellen & Myers, Robert (2012) Understanding C3 & C4 Native Grass Species (Information Sheet). Native Grass Resources Group S.A.

Which Native Grasses? Summer-green, summer-active hot season grasses, often called C4 grasses, were chosen – all species which are found growing naturally in the Mt Lofty Ranges and which were dominant in 1836. They were selected taking into account the site conditions and any reasonable landholder concerns.

C4 C3 Some cool-season growing grasses which tolerate our summers may also be used where aspect and soil conditions are suitable

Common Name Genus Common Name Genus

Brush wire-grass

Red-leg grass

Windmill grass

Curly windmill grass

Blue grass

Bottle-washers

Mat grass

Blady grass

Pigeon grass

Kangaroo grass

Aristida

Bothriochloa

Chloris

Enteropogon

Dichanthium

Enneapogon

Hemarthria

Imperata

Setaria

Themeda

Wallaby grass

Spear grass

Common wheat-

grass

Weeping rice-grass

Foxtail mulga-

grass

Austrodanthonia

Austrostipa

Elymus

Microlaena

Neurachne

Selection The highlighted species were selected

Seed Purchased 71.3 kgs. Investment of $8,260

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SOWING SCHEDULES & RESULTS In explanation text from a presentation by Bob Myers to the 4th Native Grass Researchers Workshop in Melbourne, November 2014, was chosen. “Ideally, I advocate a minimum chemical fallow period of 2 years. So Sept 2012 means Sept 2014 should have been the earliest start to the sowing schedule. But some variables kicked in . . . reminds me of Professor Wal Whalley’s interpretive paper on Walker et al’s Social-Ecological Systems & Resilience Management at the 2010 Workshop. There was people pressure (social) to see something happening on the bare ground. As a result I chose to trial a summer sowing of Themeda florets, plus pelletised Bothriochloa near Mt Torrens and a small area of the Birdwood site. 6.3kg Themeda florets for 630m2 and 5 kg of pelletised Bothriochloa for 423m2 was broadcast into heavily fissured ground. With no rain looking like coming, Fred organized tanker irrigation for the sowings, 4 times at 2 day intervals with 4000ls of water each time (the application of tanker water should be and would be a rarity). It was not enough, in a very hot period with one catastrophic fire ban, to trigger germination. Then, on February 13th through to late 14th, the heavens opened, delivering 127 mms. The Mt Torrens site became a turbulent river. Florets would have been lost. Surviving florets, both Themeda and Bothriochloa had one leaf emergence 6 days later. There was only patchy survival of Themeda through a cool Autumn and a cold and frosty Winter; the Bothriochloa fared much better though damage was incurred by a contested off-target herbicide application. Themeda was resown on 29th August 2014 using an AERA-vatorTM with a commercial-in-confidence, experimental seedbox. For the rest of the sites, I opted for ‘covering the bases’ with a mix of C3 (“Griffin” Microlaena) and pelletised Bothriochloa or Chloris truncata. Late Autumn: 3 sites, one with Microlaena and two with Microlaena/Bothriochloa mix were sown on May 12th, 14th & 20th. Late Winter: 4 sites with Microlaena/Bothriochloa, Bothriochloa/Chloris, Bothriochloa and a Chloris/Aristida/Bothriochloa mix were sown on August 27th & 29th. All these sowings were hand-cast into surface harrowed ground, raked and rolled. The Griffin from the Autumn sowing emerged magnificently within 28 days on all three sites from the 17/6. The Bothriochloa could have germinated in a wet, warm Spring BUT August had 9mms and 10 huge frosts and September has been cool with poor rainfall . . . so no Bothriochloa up. The Griffin from the Winter sowing emerged by 23rd September, after 24 days and 22mms of rain. Cool to mild September weather with only 33.6mms of rain means that none of the C4’s have emerged . . . Send it down Huey!” PS: Huey dumped over 75 mms on most sites between 7th and 13th of January 2015. The Red-leg and Windmill grass emerged within a week at Pfeiffer Road and Angas Creek. Likewise the Red-leg grass at Forreston and Birdwood. Two sites have areas with a massive emergence of summer active, C4 exotic annual grasses. Though they’re low growing and green, they’re competitors for light and moisture needed by the young Red-leg and Kangaroo grass seedlings. Another year’s fallow would have greatly reduced their numbers.

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TRIAL SITES OBSERVATION LOG (From one of the 7 sites) Site visuals are on the AHC/RFRI website.

Site 1 – Pfeiffer Road, Woodside REVIEW DATE

ACTION SPECIES SURVEY OTHER OBSERVATIONS

25/5/12 Confirm selection of site

23/8/12 Set up monitoring points and take first photos

10/8/12 Brushcut site weeds

8/9/12 Herbicide application

13/11/12 Burn site

27/12/12 Site assessment for post burn germination

Weeds present – broadleafs (fat hen, thistles, nightshade, wild lettuce, dock, evening primrose. Exotic grasses (couch, phalaris, cocksfoot, barnyard grass, crab grass, kikuyu, eragrostis curvula). Other (blackberry, acacias, wild panicum)

?/1/2013 Follow up herbicide spray

12/6/13 Site assessment Many broadleaf species from juvenile to established – dock, marshmallows, capeweed, plantain, jane, erodium, fat hen, phalaris

26/6/13 Site levelled for water run-off. Also herbicide sprayed

26/7/13 Site assessment Water pooling evident


27/12/13 Site assessment Broadleafs (fat hen, thistles, nightshade, wild lettuce, dock, evening primrose. Exotic grasses (couch, phalaris, cocksfoot, barnyard grass, crab grass, kikuyu and large eragrostis curvula). Other (blackberry and a few acacias)

Wild panicum adjacent to the road for half the plot’s length

?/1/2014 Herbicide application

End 3/14

Site assessment Broadleafs present – further spraying indicated


8/7/14 Site assessment Two thirds covered with mosses. Some small and large old marshmallows plus a few exotic grasses

27/8/14 Prepare site and sow seed *Sown with redleg grass and windmill grass

24/9/14 Site assessment No emergence except for sedge tufts, minimal weeds, but emerging.

Immediate hand weeding required

25/11/14 Site assessment Broadleafs have multiplied Urgent attention

6/12/14 Cut out large broadleafs Herbicide treatment needed


14/1/15 Site assessment (Germination and significant emergence)

One leaf emergence stage of both* species. Some tiny broadleafs visible in places. Good rain on 5 days between 7

th and 14

th.

Keep an eye on broadleafs

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EQUIPMENT USED

For Site Preparation Brushcutters and whippers (Hidden hazards: risk to tractor/slasher) Herbicide spray units CFS FIRE UNIT Backhoe (for large hazards like rocks & tree stumps) Picks/Grubbers (for manual small hazard removal) Stump Muncher Tractor w/bucket (for levelling & soil spreading) Trailer (to remove some hazard material & branches Other Possible Equipment Small Grader (for even-level topsoil removal) Bobcat For Sowing Raking litter from site and/or Vac into a John Deere Twin Catcher-Bag Mower (an X748 24hp) which removes leaves & twigs An ATV – pulling a set of harrows lightly tilled the topsoil An ATV – towing a roller ensured good ‘seed’/soil contact Florets (seed) were HAND-CAST from a bucket An AERA-vator tractor attachment with a commercial-in-confidence multi-see-mix seedbox was trialled at Site 4 & 5 Post Emergence AHC Water Truck was used (with dry conditions following the emergence of seedlings). It was also used on Site 4 to try to get Kangaroo grass to germinate mid-summer. Harvesting at Site 4 A large area of seeding red-leg grass was layered with a BRUSHCUTTER and placed on a tarpaulin, and a part of it was harvested with PRAM-WHEEL CATCHER MOWER. Other available small-plot harvesting equipment could be used. PS: The harvested and cleaned Red-leg grass from 260m2 gave us 1.2 kg (value $92). The harvested and threshed Kangaroo grass from an Upper Sturt site gave us 1.4kg (value $154). The Key message: not only can roadsides be managed for fire safety, but they can also produce valuable seed to reconstruct more roadsides for the better. Their establishment is indeed an on-going investment, delivering “interest” annually.

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COSTS INCURRED

May 2012 to December 2014 (see tables following)

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2012-2013

IN-KIND CONTRIBUTION COSTINGS

DATE AGENCY TASK TIME (Hrs)

ACTUAL COST

IN-KIND CONTRIBUTION

AHC UTLMP NGRG NRM URTLG DPTI CFS

May-12 AHC/UTLMP/NGRG/NRM /URTLG

Meeting 2 1000 200 100 100 100 100 0 0

May-12 AHC/UTLMP/NGRG/NRM Site visit to proposed sites 3 600 150 150 150 150

Aug-12 UTLMP Setting up photo monitoring points and site photos 3 150 150

Aug-12 AHC Brushcutting 10 1000

Aug-12 UTLMP/URTLG Meeting to develop text for AHC website 1.5 150 75 75

Aug-12 UTLMP GIS Support 2 50

Sep-12 UTLMP Spraying sites 4-8 4 632.5

NRM - Onkaparinga Valley Catchment

Spraying sites 1-3 1.5 250

Sep-12 UTLMP Mapping & data collection (photos etc.) 6 300 300

Sep-12 UTLMP GIS Support 2 50

Oct-12 UTLMP Designing & production of signs 4-8 3 899.8

NRM - Onkaparinga Valley Catchment

Designing & production of signs 1-3 1.5 540.1

Oct-12 AHC/UTLMP/NGRG/NRM /URTLG

Site visits to discuss next action 2 400 100 100 100 100 100

Nov-12 AHC & CFS Burning of sites 16 800 800

Dec-12 NGRG Site visits to photograph & ID weeds 3 150 150

Jan-13 UTLMP GIS Support 2 50

Jan-13 UTLMP Data collection & compilation 3 150 150

Jan-13 AHC sites sprayed 5 500

Feb-13 UTLMP GIS Support 7 175

Mar-13 AHC Sign erection 5 500

Mar-13 AHC/UTLMP/NGRG Site visits to discuss next action 3 450 150 150 150

Mar-13 UTLMP Preparation of data for partners, power point presentation etc.

6 300 300

Mar-13 UTLMP GIS Support 1 50

Mar-13 AHC Levelling of sites & stumps and log removal 10 3200

Jun-13 NGRG Site visits assess 2 100 100

Jun-13 DEWNR (previously NRM) Spraying of all sites 8 750 750

SUB-TOTAL

112.5 8647.4 4550 600 1475 825 1100 200 0 800

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ACTUAL COST



2013-2014

Jul-13 NGRG Site visits assess & photograph wet areas 2 100 100

Jul-13 NGRG/UTLMP Meeting & updating logs, downloading photos etc. 2 200 100 100

Sep-13 NGRG/UTLMP/AHC Meeting to advise AHC Staff of project & work to date

2 400 200 100 100

Oct-13 UTLMP Spraying of all sites 6 650

Oct-13 UTLMP/NGRG Meeting to develop power point presentation for AHC Community Forum 29/10/13 and update website copy

2.5 250 125 125

Nov-13 AHC/NGRG Site visits to adjacent landholders 7.5 750 375 375

Dec-13 NGRG Media opportunity with The Courier 1.5 150 150

Dec-13 NGRG Monitoring & evaluation 2 100 100

Dec-13 UTLMP Updating logs, email comms, etc. 2 100 100

Jan-14 AHC Spraying of all sites 8 750

Jan-14 DPTI Purchase seed 1 1060 50 1110

Feb-14 AHC/NGRG/UTLMP Sowing seeds at Sites 4 & 8 15.5 775 275 225 275

6/02/14 AHC Water tanker to water in seed 1 50 50

10/02/14 AHC/NGRG Water tanker to water in seed 1 100 50 50

12/02/14 AHC Water tanker to water in seed 1 50 100

28/02/14 NGRG Site visits for monitoring 2 100 100

1/04/14 DEWNR (previously NRM) Spraying of all sites 8 700 700

28/04/14 UTLMP Uipdating logs 1.5 150 150

1/05/14 AHC/NGRG/UTLMP/NRM Meeting & site visits to all sites 4 850 300 200 200 150

5/05/14 UTLMP Updating logs, downloading photos, minutes & communication with partners

6 300 300

6/05/14 NGRG/UTLMP Administration 1 100 50 50

9/05/14 DEWNR (previously NRM) Purchase seed 1 4200 50 50

9/05/14 UTLMP Purchase seed 1 1500 50 50

12/05/14 NGRG/AHC/NRM Prep of site 6 and sowing of seed (plus AHC contractors, Alan Wickham & 1)

6

400

900 300 300 300


4 300 600 200 200 200


4 300 600 200 200 200

SUB-TOTAL

93.5 9110 7525 2050 1400 2425 1600 0 1110 0

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2014-2015


ACTUAL COST



8/07/14 NGRG/AHC Site visits for monitoring 2 200 100 100

10/07/14 NGRG/AHC Site 8 - star dropper installation 1 100 50 50

27/07/14 NGRG/DPTI Site 4 - to look at herbicide damage 1.5 450 150 300

11/08/14 NGRG/UTLMP Updating logs, downloading photos, etc. 7 700 350 350

13/08/14 AHC/NGRG/UTLMP/NRM/DPTI

Meeting 2 600 100 100 100 100 200

14/08/14 UTLMP Administration, meeting minutes etc. 3 150 150

15/08/14 UTLMP Purchase seed 0.5 2000 25 25

16/08/14 NGRG Maintenance of tape at Site 3a 1 50 50

18/08/14 NGRG/UTLMP Preparation of seed for sowing 2 200 100 100

27/08/14 NGRG/AHC/UTLMP/NRM Sowing at Site 3a & Site 1 (plus AHC contractors, Alan Wickham & 1)

3 300 600 150 150 150 150

29/08/14 NGRG/AHC/UTLMP/NRM Sowing at Site 4 using AERA-vator 5 550 575 250 75 250

2/09/14 NGRG Oversowing at Site 8 & S1 1 50 50

16/09/14 NGRG Broadleaf spraying at Site 8; landholder comm and hand-weeding at S7

3 150 150

23/09/14 NGRG/UTLMP Site visits 4-8 & updating files for website 4 400 200 200

24/09/14 UTLMP Site visits 1, 3; Updating logs, downloading photos etc.

5 250 250

10/10/14 NGRG Site visit 3a 1 50 50

22/10/14 NGRG Weed maintenance at Site 3b, Site 6 & Site 8 (catcher mower for weed seed), handweed at Site 4

3 150 150

23/10/14 NGRG Maintenance at Site 8, Site 6 1.5 75 75

30/10/14 NGRG/AHC Maintenance at Site 3a 3 150 100 50

3/11/14 NGRG/AHC Weed maintenance at Site 3a, Site 4 3 150 50 100

5/11/14 NGRG Weed maintenance at Site 4, Site 3b, Site 8 & Site 7

3.5 175 175

12/11/14 AHC Maintenance at Sites 6,7,8 3 300 300

21/11/14 NGRG Maintenance at Site 6 & 7 1.5 75 75

25/11/14 NGRG Site visit to Site 1 & 3 1 50 50

26/11/14 NGRG Maintenance at Site 4, Site 3a 2.5 125 125

27/11/14 NGRG Maintenance at Sites 3, Site 8 4 200 200

5/12/14 NGRG/UTLMP Administration 2 200 100 100

SUB-

TOTAL 70 2850 6200 1100 1500 2850 250 0 500 0

TOTAL 428.5 20607.4 18275 3750 4375 6100 2950 200 1610 800 Out of

Pocket Expenses

6200 5374.8 0 6440.1 0 1060 800

21

REFERENCES

22

DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS

Given the established high fire risk data recorded for the AHC region, it seems obvious to us that the AHC be the first LGA in South Australia to acknowledge that they can capitalize on the RFRI Trial results. We recommend that:

1. A roll-out of the RFRI begin based on Options 2 and/or 3/3b, due to the positive

results of the short-term-goal trial and supporting research findings interstate.

2. A Roadside Fuel Reduction Project (RFRP) team of dedicated (trained)

individuals develop the strategic planning process to implement the roadside

reconstruction process.

3. Community engagement be increased to encourage and influence ratepayers to

support AHC and be involved in the project.

*Where impediments to necessary legal change exist, these sections of the relevant Acts should be expeditiously amended.

23

DRAFT PROPOSED FRAMEWORK

24

LESSONS LEARNED

Some of the many things we know about Native Grasses That there are 27 genera of cool-season active native grasses (C3), and 43 genera of warm

season active grasses (C4)

That C4 grasses were dominant in 1836, as the Anglo-Europeans arrived.

That C4 grasses have been grazed and cultivated out of the farmed landscapes.

That most C4 and C3 native grasses in Southern and South-Eastern Australia have recorded

low, dry fuel load tonnage…. 8 t/ha max. to lower than 2 5/ha!!

That C4 grasses (and some C3) grasses respond quickly and positively to dumps of summer

rain, carrying them through late summer and into Autumn. Not so exotic grasses in the main.

Couch & barnyard grass, for example, are exceptions and are significant low fuel load exotic

summer grasses.

That C4 grasses establish best from late Spring into Summer.

That to burn 1 km of phalaris on a roadside takes at least 4 CFS tankers, but 1 km of native

grasses can be burnt with 1-2 tankers in half the time (CFA-Kirstall, 2004).

The positive role of burning to volatize nitrates in rank grass biomass. Nitrates boost growth

of exotic grasses, especially annuals over native perennials.

What we generally know about Roadsides The Highways Dept. Act 1930 gave management responsibility to Councils… “a big ask”.

Surely this has to change.

Relatively few landholders care for “their” roadsides… (no encouragement to do so). It

appears to be illegal. But those who do care are the building blocks for a “share and care”

protocol.

Hazards can be hidden in the long grass…. Some dangerous.

The topography of the site may demand some works intervention… (bobcat, stump muncher,

backhoe, grader)

There can be considerable variation in soil condition within a site.

Poor drainage from the site or flooding through the site will affect transformation actions

Cleared open road verges can become places to park and places for wide U-turns.

Contact info signage is one thing, but what’s-going-on-signage is quite another, and probably

necessary.

Their linear, narrow width and environmentally detrimental long-edge effect seriously

questions their ecological value. So we are saying their role-managed for fire mitigation – is

more important.

Protection has been given and ensured for Blue Marker Zones – remnant native vegetation

patches.

The DPTI are responsible for the metre-past-the-white-marker posts zone

There are vineyards near roadsides all over the region. Caution: No broadleaf herbicide can

be used from Bud-burst anywhere near a vineyard… only if a wind is blowing off a vineyard

could their use be considered.

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What we don’t know

Are some sites likely to be too difficult to reconstruct (due to adjacent weed seed, high

nutrient soil, contaminated soil, aggressive weeds, too narrow, serious compaction, etc.)?

Should long-period wet sites be sown with Cyperaceae (sedges) and/or a suitable, though

small number of native grass genera eg: Blady grass, mat grass, weeping rice-grass?

Others?

How reliable is the sowing of C4 grasses in Autumn… to sit there until germination in Spring

(or next Summer)?

Can we sow a native species “meadow” like the GGRP in attempting to do with the use of the

AERA-vatorTM (soil breaker) and multi-species seedbox seeder…. Daisies, lilies, sedges,

etc.?

Can Councils share/delegate some road verge care back to adjacent landholders? (NB

They’ll have to) (Implication: change to the law?)

Will ‘co-ownership’ of the road verge fuel load (&broadleaf weeds) lift the level of care? (NB

You’d expect so)?

There are stunted, deformed, spindly sapling eucalypts and emerging seedlings along many

roadsides. For many reasons they should be removed.

There are exotic shrubby (even declared) plants on roadsides that should have been

removed years ago.

Can we use wickwipers (to remove spray drift problem) to tackle broadleaf weeks (& seedling

eucalypts) from Spring into Summer?

We confirm what we knew from weed eradication/control actions practiced elsewhere eg: private properties, CFA Vic, Greening Australia, GGRP VIC. A Given: Roads are disturbance zones & heavily trafficked, which favours weed invasion. However,:

Extended chemical fallowing is an appropriate way to reduce and even eradicate

introduced/exotic grass weeds from a site.

The fallowing will take a minimum of 2 years, preferably 3.

Topsoil removal gives the best result (& more economic). It’s an “instant transformation

starter-solution”, though not always foolproof. A form of topsoil ‘removal’ was practiced

early in our history with the use of the mould-board plough (for forestry especially).

Slashing, whippering & brushcutting are appropriate tools to reveal what is hidden in high,

dense, established grassy fuel load roadsides. This practice WILL NOT prevent multiple

regrowth (tillering) & seedhead formation of both exotic annuals & perennials.

Burning is probably the most effective tool for removing dry biomass

The reconstruction process (with best available species chosen) must be in place for

implementation at the end of the fallow (or topsoil removal) period.

Some broadleaf weeds (like some annual & perennial exotic grasses) are resilient &

persistent.

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Most broadleaf weeds & exotic grasses come in almost predicable waves from Autumn to

mid-Summer.

It’s never a surprise when a “new” weed suddenly appears following intervention/change

of management or a deluge in summer!

Using an AERA-vatorTM for sowing the native grass seed mix can overcome compaction

problems.

What our Contacts & Researchers are telling us In site preparation for transformation, two compounds in smoke have been identified as powerful germination triggering agents. Once they’re commercially available, their use will give us economic savings, shortening the established chemical fallow process and reducing herbicide and contractor costs. The pyrolytic burner technology could be employed/adapted for use on roadsides and private properties. This is being investigated by the ‘Grassy Groundcover Restoration Project’ (GGRP). The fuel load figures have been gathered from CFA (Vic) and from the literature (Native Grass Srategy for South Australia 1 & 2, Reseigh, Foster and Myers, 2008/2009 Rural Solutions SA). There are specific grass selective herbicides in use in cropping systems that could be used to take out oats, for example. A revegetation practitioner was successfully using Mataven 90 (until it was withdrawn) to take out oats in native grassed areas. Bob is investigating other brands that are in use as Avena fatua Wild Oats, like other weeds, can quickly develop resistance to an often-applied herbicide (NB: we would not be often applying the same herbicide!). Last year a breakthrough seed priming/pre-treatment trial was conducted on native grass florets in Perth, Melbourne and in SA at Mt Pleasant’s Seed Production Plots. Research pioneered at Kings Park, Botanic Gardens in Perth under Dr Kingsley Dickson and colleagues, was focused on native grasses. The knowledge gained from these discoveries will assist our establishment processes when conditions are difficult. We know that a number of ratepayers are bothered by chemicals, especially GlyphosateTM. Native Seeds P/L Victoria are selling a product called WeedZapTM, a bio-degradable, non-selective, organic oil. BlazetamerTM, is a water enhancer for fire suppression and is a breakthrough in fire protection and prevention This SA scientific technology is revolutionizing fire protection and prevention.

27

What we’ve always known about native grasses Exotic weeds, especially annuals, establish faster than natives

Exotic weeds are favoured by high nutrient levels in the soil

Exotic weeds, especially annuals, set seed faster and in greater quantities than natives

All sown florets will not germinate in the first season.

What we now know with regard to sowing times We can establish C4 native grasses in Summer into fissured soil if a big rain event occurs. Failing this flood irrigation could be attempted. We can only have good establishment (or any initial establishment at all) of C4 florets sown in late Winter or early Spring, if we have a ‘wet’ Spring. We can establish C3 Weeping rice-grass (Microlaena Stipoides) in late Autumn, with florets sown into lightly harrowed, cross-raked & rolled. From this we have the exact times of first leaf emergence.

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