Pulling the pines at Lower Glenelg National Park

Wednesday 20 June, 2012

Visiting volunteers from all over the world have helped local volunteers stop the spread of Radiata pine in the Lower Glenelg National Park.  This year alone Parks Victoria and Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) removed 4,273 pine wildlings from 262 hectares of the Lower Glenelg National Park and Mumbannar Reserve.

Managed by Conservation Volunteers Australia, and working with Parks Victoria and the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority, the project is nearing the last month of removing invasive Radiata pine wildlings from the park.  If left to grow in the national park, Radiata pine will prevent small herbs, shrubs and groundcovers growing around the base of a tree. Pine needles also suffocate plants on the ground and poison the soil for native plants by changing pH or acidity.

Conservation Volunteers Australia Project Officer Danielle Crespan said:  “Radiata pine grow quite tall and the pine needles can fall quite a distance from the tree, so up to 6-7 metres across the ground can be altered by just one tree and its pine needle fall.”

Dave Ryan, Parks Victoria Ranger at Nelson, said pine removal has been occurring for more than 20 years in the Lower Glenelg National Park, since pine trees were identified as a priority pest plant species.

“We’ve really ramped up control in the last 10 years and really targeted high priority conservation areas,” said Mr Ryan.  

Mr Ryan said that volunteers from overseas had proven very enthusiastic participants.  

“There are limits to the size of plants volunteers are able to remove using hand tools and because the surrounding vegetation is so dense. Rangers were able to help with chainsaws to remove both small and large trees.”

Funded through the Caring for our Country Program, the project has seen approximately 10,000 pines removed from the park this year.

Conservation Volunteers Australia run projects like this every week of the year providing practical, on ground conservation contributions to environmentally minded communities.

For more information, visit: www.conservationvolunteers.com.au