Pinus radiata in bushland: Assessing the issue in the Green Triangle

Summary

Pinus radiata is recognised, both in Australia and elsewhere, as a potential weed impacting on natural areas and habitat values. This project will quantify the extent and distribution of pine wildlings as they invade remnant native vegetation areas. It will provide outcomes that inform the plantation industry and NRM planners on improved management of Pinus radiata. Although focused on the Green Triangle in SE South Australia and SW Victoria, the project will also include other pine growing areas.

Aims

This project aims to:

• Develop use of GIS to identify pine wildlings in remnant vegetation, preferably using satellite imagery;
• Quantify the extent of invasion of remnant native vegetation by P.  radiata seedlings (wildlings) in the Green Triangle region, the lower SE of SA and SW of Victoria
• Develop projections of the potential impact of P. radiata by relating vegetation community characteristics, distance from plantations and age of plantations;
• Identify current and potential management options for control of pine wildlings and estimate costs of these options.

Outcomes

Key messages that have emerged from this study are:

• Application of remote sensing to identify pine wildlings in native vegetation is a difficult process. It will take further development before it realises its full potential for planning, management or research
• Incorporating communication and networking with the key interested parties from the inception of a project has been particularly useful in defining the direction of the study and obtaining information that field operators have about actual pine wildling presence
• Further development of remote sensing to detect pine wildlings is eminently worth doing and will prove even more so when the next generation of high resolution, multi-spectral imagery becomes available.

Background

Pinus radiata has recognised weed potential both in Australia and overseas.  Research to date has demonstrated its invasive potential and its ability to alter structure and species composition of native vegetation.  This leads to an impoverished plant community and reduced habitat value for native fauna, particularly important where native vegetation is already greatly reduced in extent.  The threat becomes so much greater where these remnants lie next to pine plantations that are much larger in extent than the native vegetation.

While much is known about establishment and growth of pines in plantations, the ecology of pine wildlings invading native vegetation in Australia is less well documented.

As is generally the case with environmental weeds, it is most cost effective to control pine wildlings at the early stage of invasion.  This requires that they be identified while their numbers and size are fairly small; not a quick or easy task in forest and woodland vegetation.

Publications and Resources

None listed

Citation

Land & Water Australia. 2008. Pinus radiata in bushland: Assessing the issue in the Green Triangle. [Online] (Updated April 28th, 2009)
Available at: http://lwa.gov.au/node/2586 [Accessed Tuesday 26th of April 2011 01:40:32 AM ].