By PETER DOUGLAS
IT’S a case of third time lucky for an anticipated weed-reduction program that is taking place in the Dandenong Ranges.
After first flagging the project in 2007, La Trobe MP Jason Wood, this week finally witnessed some results of a $450,000 program to tackle Wandering Trad, after twice watching the project shelved due to election losses.
Mr Wood last week joined project volunteers for a tour to inspect contractor work along Sherbrooke Road at Kallista, as well as sites at Olinda and other parts of the Dandenong Ranges.
The group observed efforts from the first phase, which is aimed at stimulating natural regeneration in an area viewed as being under serious threat.
Mr Wood said Wandering Trad is an invasive species that posed a major threat to the region’s flora and fauna.
“Wandering Trad suffocates the native plant-life, which doesn’t get the chance to regenerate,” he said.
“It gets in the waterways and causes all sorts of damage.
“Wandering Trad used to be given away as a creeper at school fetes, but has proven to be highly destructive.”
Joining the tour group was Stephen Thuan from the Port Phillip Westernport Catchment Management Authority, which is a collaborator on the project.
The body is involved with the program through its Yarra4Life initiative, which helps to protect and enhance the area.
Yarra4Life believes the Dandenong Ranges is an important agricultural and tourism area, acknowledging it as a key habitat for the Helmeted Honeyeater and the Leadbeater’s Possum.
Mr Thuan said the Dandenong Ranges comprised some of Australia’s finest bush and cultural heritage.
However, he said it was constantly under threat from weeds, which not only overtook the native species, but provided additional fuel for bushfires.
