THE Shire of Yarra Ranges has placed weeds on its most wanted list, launching a black spot program last week.
The program will focus on controlling the spread of weeds across the shire.
This follows the launch of council’s weed management strategy which saw an extra $100,000 allocated in this year’s budget.
Shire manager of community relations James Martin said the black spot program would use billboards and big posters to advertise areas of concern.
He said shire workers would be removing weeds by hand and using sprays to kill off the weeds in identified black spot areas across the shire.
Mr Martin said shire officers had identified a number of black spot areas, including parts of the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley.
Shire parks officer Bert Bresser said problem weed areas included Selby, Monbulk, Upwey and Belgrave.
Mr Martin said weeds were literally choking the life out of native trees and flora and was threatening the shire’s biodiversity.
Mayor David Hodgett said the weed problem had been placed firmly on the council’s agenda and that a program had been developed to control their spread.
Chandler Ward councillor Alan Fincher said weeds such as ivy were strangling trees along the OlindaMonbulk Road.
Cr Hodgett said vast areas of the shire are under threat from climbing weeds such as ivy and woody weeds including sweet pittosporum and sycamore.
“They (weeds) are choking the life out of our trees, swamping precious native ground covers and shrubs and destroying the habitat of our native animals,” he said.
