9/09/2019

There’s no time to ease into it. We are tasked to identify, map and remove Athel pine weed along the Finke River. It is regarded as one of the worst weeds in Australia because of its invasiveness, potential for spread, and economic and environmental impacts. It forms dense stands along inland rivers. It consumes water more quickly than native plants, thereby reducing the number and quality of watering holes. It concentrates salt, which is excreted by its leaves. This makes the ground beneath athel pines more salty and excludes native pasture grasses and other salt-sensitive plants. It can change river flow patterns and cause overland flooding and bank erosion. So if left unchecked it can create a real problem. This was going to take us two days to complete, so we loaded up the Landcruisers with the swags for an overnight trip.