Daintree Weed workshop fully booked

A free weed management workshop, planned for November and hosted by the Australian Rainforest Foundation (ARF), for landowners and residents in the Daintree is now fully booked.

The workshop, the first of many planned, is being run under the ARF’s Rainforest Stewardship Program with the aim of actively encouraging and supporting Daintree and Mission Beach landowners to cooperatively manage the rainforest particularly in areas of weed and pest control.

Weeds continue to be a major threat to the tropical rainforest environment;

- Weeds reduce biodiversity values and the integrity of rainforest
- Weeds decrease important wildlife food sources and sheltering areas
- Noxious weeds can reduce agricultural crop production
- Weeds are costly to the environment and expensive to control

Weeds cost Queensland an estimated $600 million every year and have significant impacts on primary industries, natural ecosystems, human and animal health.

There are 37 major weeds that have been identified in the Mission Beach and Daintree areas which have the potential to cause adverse social, economic and environmental impacts on the tropical rainforest.

Being able to identify the extent and types of weeds that are growing in the rainforest and developing a weed management strategy to effectively select and apply appropriate control methods is a skill that is essential for every landholder to have. Having the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve this is crucial to minimising their threat and spread throughout the landscape.

A weed workshop for landowners in the Mission Beach, El Arish or Tully area is scheduled for Saturday 10th November, at the time of distributing this e-newsletter places were still available. Find out more.

Landowners who attend the workshops, in the Daintree or Mission Beach, may also be eligible for financial assistance through ARF Weed Management grants of $500 - $5000.

To register your interest in attending future weed management workshops call the ARF on (07) 4051 2000 or email your details to info@arf.net.au

	SIAM WEED (Chromolaena ordorata) a serious Problem Weed Siam Weed is a Class 1 weed that currently poses a serious threat to agriculture and the rainforest environment of the Wet Tropics. Problems associated with Siam Weed include: an increased fire risk when plants are dead or dying out competes and smothers crops and native vegetation is toxic to cattle its seeds remain viable in the soil for at least 8 years has a history of spreading large distances alongside human activity produces a chemical that inhibits the growth of other plants. Each seed head can contain hundreds of seeds, and even small infestations can produce millions of seeds per year.