MP plans weed blitz

LA TROBE MP Jason Wood is pushing to get Federal Government funding for weed controls in the Hills, especially for areas of the Sherbrooke State Forest.
Mr Wood said the Hills were infested with weeds and it was a problem that needed to be addressed.
He said, although the Friends groups performed an excellent job, the Sherbrooke State Forest was one of the areas of concern.
“The volunteers can’t access all areas of the forest and there are only so many volunteers,” he said.
Concerned about the weeds in the Hills, Mr Wood visited a weed-management facility to find out about their feasibility study.
Mr Wood held talks with scientists of the Weeds Cooperative Research Centre on how ivy and wandering Jew affect the environment.
He said many residents in The Hills had raised concerns with him regarding the problem of weeds in national parks and the local environment.
“They feel that it doesn’t matter how much work is done there is always going to be more,” he said.
Mr Wood said the task force of local environmental groups needed a helping hand to access funding.
He said he would forge ahead although it was going to be hard to get funding as state parks are normally a State Government responsibility.
“It is going to be like pushing a square peg in a round hole, and the funding doesn’t really fit any federal funding category, but we have to try,” he said.
Mr Wood is part of an environmental group in Ferny Creek, which tackles wandering Jew and ivy. He said the group was always looking for more volunteers to help with the never-ending task of weed control.
He said one way of tackling the funding problems was for local groups to get together and apply for different environmental grants.
Mr Wood said making the government and the community aware of the problem was the first major step in tackling weeds, which he said seem to be consuming the countryside.