Rangitikei landowners help target old man's beard

Horizons Regional Council is thanking Rangitikei landowners for assisting with an annual old mans beard control programme by reporting sightings on their land or within the district.

Horizons environmental management officer pest plants Malinda Matthewson says community reporting is vital to the management of this smothering vine as locals keep Horizons informed of sites that may be missed.

"We use a mix of control methods for old mans beard and, with many thousands of hectares of native vegetation and farmland to search, helicopters are the most effective way to find and control the weed. However, we really only see the larger infestations this way," Mrs Matthewson says.

"Every year I visit people whose land we are going to search and every year locals tell us of smaller sites we may otherwise have missed. Local people know their area and are just as keen as we are to keep this weed under control.

"I cant state enough how important reports from locals are in contributing to the overall success of our control programmes.

"When we catch sites early, theyre easier to control. Were able to get to them before they really get going."

One such local is Pukeokahu Farming Partnership Limited manager John Waldron.

"The Pukeokahu Farming Partnership owners are keen to protect the natural environment. If we can work in with the regional council to do so then thats fantastic," he says.

Old mans beard is listed in Horizons current Regional Pest Management Strategy as a containment plant. This means areas where the weed has become a problem are recorded and the Council works with landowners to prevent its spread outside of these areas.

While Horizons cannot control all old mans beard sites, Mrs Matthewson says the work that they are doing in the Rangitikei along with work being carried out by landowners and the wider community is having a real impact on the weed.

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Rangitikei landowners help target old man's beard