A healthy, diverse ecosystem is more stable, more productive, and better able to recover after disturbance events, than poor quality vegetation.

Council values biodiversity and is committed to improving its roadside vegetation management practices through the Roadside Vegetation Management Plan.

The plan aims to support our critical agriculture, viticulture and horticulture industries and benefit landowners, residents, visitors and our natural resources alike. It provides a targeted, lower disturbance approach to roadside management, which can reduce overall costs not just for Council, but for farmers and other land managers, and improves the amenity and function of our roadsides such as shelter for stock and crops and habitat for our native birds and animals.

Council is also working with landholders and key partner agencies such as Natural Resources Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges in managing pest plants and animals and undertaking revegetation projects in order to improve the condition of these important areas.

To learn more, read the LRC Roadside Botanical Survey & Assessment Report and LRC Roadside Vegetation Management Plan 2016-2021.

Figure 1: An example of good quality native roadside vegetation. A farmer's friend providing shelter and reducing weed spread.

How you can help

Council appreciates the time and effort land managers put into roadside management and is committed to helping to make this process more efficient, effective, and cheaper. Some ideas for managing road reserves are:

1. Get to know and understand the native plants that grow along your roadsides - help on identification and management is available and free.

Figure 2: Native grasses, including the distinctive Themeda triandra (kangaroo grass) growing in abundance. These plants can be given a high mowing to reduce concerns of fire fuel loading in summer allowing the plants to re-shoot in autumn. Increasing the diversity of this roadside with native ‘Saltbush’ (etc.) will increase the fire resistance capability of sites like this even more.

2. Know the weeds you are targeting and understand the best methods to control these plants while not disturbing other beneficial plants.

Weeds are a constant source of frustration and expense for those who are either, required (for declared weeds) to control them, or it is necessary to control them for the good of their business. The good news is that the better the quality of native vegetation, the lower the probable level of weed invasion. Native vegetation excludes weeds through, out-competing and by providing habitat for weed-controlling fauna (such as beneficial insects).

Figure 3: Example of improved management practices - this Dichanthium sericeum (silky blue grass) native grassland has appeared after a slashing regime lessened weed growth.

3. Blanket spraying of broad-spectrum herbicides should always be avoided, seek advice for alternative strategies.

One of the main damaging practices is broad spectrum (non-selective) herbicide spraying of native roadside vegetation in particular using Glyphosate. Research indicates that excessive spraying creates disturbance, which is the enemy of a stable, weed resistant system. These sprayed roadsides lose condition and stability and generally become dominated by unwanted weeds which can spread into adjacent areas. This creates a lose-lose scenario for land managers as these areas no longer have the capacity to provide any of the benefits described above, plus they may require more resources to control in the long-term.  Weeds have the ability to adapt to herbicides requiring either the chemical dose to be increased, or a change in the chemical mix; both of which costs more money and time, as well as potentially increasing impacts on soil health.

Figure 4: Over-spraying has allowed weed invasion by site disturbance and killing off native competition. This is now a significant fire hazard and an additional maintenance burden for the adjoining land manager.

Figure 5: Over-spraying has severely damaged this roadside, exposing bare soil and allowing weeds to dominate, necessitating ever-increasing levels of spraying. There are no productive benefits to landowners here, but more likely negative outcomes.

4. Consider the planting of appropriate native vegetation to assist with paddock production and limit the impact of extreme events - there are local nurseries that can provide suitable plants at low costs.

Promoting healthy crops - good quality native vegetation plays an important role in agricultural pest management, biosecurity and pollination as it: supports less crop/pasture diseases and invertebrate pests than weeds; supports high numbers of invertebrates beneficial to primary production, such as native pollinators; and has the capacity to buffer against the introduction of new species that pose a biosecurity threat.

Figure 6: Native grass, Enneapogan nigricans, on a roadside corner. The dominance of this grass prevents unwanted weeds from invading and spreading. It doesn’t grow any taller than this, but if required, could be slashed.

Figure 7: Creating a wide roadside by moving in a fence-line has allowed multiple species of native plants to quickly dominate this area. This option has excluded weeds while providing productive benefits to the adjoining landowner.

Limit the impact of one-off or on-going events such as fire, flood, wind and drought. Native vegetation can hold water in the landscape as a buffer against drought or can be more beneficial in fire event than weeds.

Figure 8: Native vegetation, including revegetation growing up to a fence line where the roadside has been widened. This will help to slow and contain fire fronts as chenopods (summer-active, salt-tolerant, drought-tolerant) plants don’t burn as well as dry weeds.

If Council are undertaking activities that are adversely affecting native vegetation or if you have ideas or examples of successfully managing roadside vegetation, please Contact Us.