Environmental Works on Creek's Bend
Landscape Scale Bush Regeneration
"To make our world a little better for our having lived in it."
In the 1970s Toonumbar's eucalypt forests had a grass and herbaceous groundcover. You could ride a horse or walk for miles in any direction. There were only isolated areas of pink Lantana (Lantana camara) and pockets of the native honeyeater Bell Miner (Manorina melanophrys). But by the 1990’s, due primarily to logging disturbance, most of Toonumbar's forest understorey was 50 to 90 per cent lantana, Bell-miner Associated Dieback (BMAD) was rapidly spreading throughout the forests, and you could no longer walk freely through the bush.
From a review of the scientific literature and personal observations of intact and degraded forests we developed a model of the pathogenic processes involved in BMAD.
Taking a Systemic and Adaptive Management approach, we decided that the forests might heal themselves if one or more of the key factors that supported dieback was changed, and LANTANA was the obvious target for intervention.
Lantana, a Weed of National Significance has severe impacts on forest health and biodiversity and it is the only exotic factor in the cycle. In fact, we think that dieback in this area should be called Lantana Associated Dieback, or LAD. Calling the dieback BMAD is unfair bad press for the native Australian Bell Miner, and the bird's beautiful call is a great help in finding hidden patches of lantana.
Due to the size of Creek's Bend forests, the extent of the lantana, and the steep and rugged terrain, use of tractors, over-spraying, mechanical clearing, replanting, and burning were not viable methods for removing lantana. Our problem was solved by our Ecologist friend John Hunter, who told a 2005 Forum on BMAD at Southern Cross University about how his father killed lantana in Queensland by squirting small quantities of a glyphosate/water mix onto plants. The implications of this method of lantana removal were profound.
Nowadays, we can almost "surgically" kill huge hedges of lantana as quickly as we can walk by using equipment that delivers discrete, tightly confined, spaced lines of a high concentration, low volume glyphosate mixture in a large droplet form. The herbicide is applied to the lantana hedges in parallel lines, a couple of metres apart, which wet only a minority of leaves on the plant. The technique is registered as "splatter gun", an unfortunate name that conjures up images of herbicide being thrown about higgledy-piggledy, when in reality the effect is more like that of a water pistol. We think it would be better named something like "Stream Jet".
Lantana splatter gun video (filmed on Creek Bend) and a BMAD Awareness video can be viewed at www.bmad.com
Splatter gun is especially suited to ecologically sensitive areas. When treating large hedges of lantana the much reduced chemical run-off minimises collateral damage to other plants and encourages native species to regenerate through the dead lantana. The focused nature of the herbicide jet makes it possible to selectively remove lantana from around valuable plants. Experienced users can just touch the trigger to deliver minimal, carefully directed doses.
In our experience, splatter gun reliably kills individual plants and large hedges of lantana with very little re-shooting from the base or roots. Most of the reappearing lantana comes up from seed. If the lantana is well hydrated and actively growing, it responds quickly to splatter gun treatment and defoliates and dies in a few weeks.
To download a pre-publication version of Somerville et al (2011) Regenerating Native Forest Using Splatter Gun to Remove Lantana (To appear in December Issue of the journal Ecological Management and Restoration) CLICK HERE
Disclaimers & Disclosures
The information provided here is of a general educational nature only and is based on our experiences regenerating native forests on our property. We are not offering any kind of advice or recommendation for any specific situation or approach to bush regeneration. We are not recommending Splatter Gun methods for use on your property. Such decisions are entirely your responsibility. Of course, it is essential that anyone using herbicides or other farm chemicals has the necessary training and accreditation, and that they follow all recommended personal protection and safety procedures. We are not agents for anyone, and are not being paid by any glyphosate producer or equipment manufacturer. We are private landowners and Landcare members, but have no professional qualifications in forestry or bush regeneration. Susan’s professional qualifications are in biology and Wayne is a registered Clinical Psychologist with a Chemical Users Certificate.
All written and recorded materials provided here are the intellectual property of Wayne and Susan Somerville, but you are welcome to reproduce and distribute the materials provided that you pass them on as copies of the originals with the above disclaimer.
Creek's Bend Fauna Species Lists
2009 Splatter Gun Workshop - Notes
Site updated: November 2011
Copyright © 2011 Wayne & Susan Somerville, Toonumbar Via Kyogle NSW Australia