The Horizons Regional Council will provide the community with an update on the controlling of Old Man's Beard over a four week period in April - May 2008. Below are the articles and reference materials.

• The rules have changed
• Where to now with old man's beard?
• Old Man’s Beard – What can YOU do about it?
• The Next Old man’s Beard:

The rules have changed

There is, as always, much discussion around Old Man’s Beard (OMB), in Taihape at this time of year. The plant has flowered and the “beards??? or fluffy seed heads are highly visible. OMB is even more visible this year due to the drought and in some areas it seems to be the only plant flourishing.

Some people are asking why Horizons is not doing more to get rid of this weed and why the Council is not controlling OMB on the roadsides and in people’s gardens? Well the simple answer is that Council is controlling this pest plant, but not within Taihape township. There are a number of very good reasons for this.

Old Man’s Beard is well known in the Taihape area as it currently infests an estimated 5,500 hectares of the Rangitikei District. Not only does it grow along roadsides and in home gardens, but it is also invading and damaging large areas of native bush.

The Council acknowledges that Old Man’s Beard is now too widespread in the environment to eradicate as we simply do not have the tools or the funding to achieve eradication. This is a very sobering thought after many years of being told, “Old Man’s Beard must go???.  

This does not mean that we have given up the fight. The fight still goes on but the rules of engagement have changed. While eradication may be impossible, keeping Old Man’s Beard down to non-damaging levels in high priority areas of native biodiversity is possible. Stopping it spreading to important areas that are currently free of the weed, is also possible though difficult. While it is frustrating to have to turn our back on this weed growing happily on the roadside or in people’s gardens, we have to get our priorities right and make sure precious resources are used to the best effect. A more suitable slogan for this weed might be, “Old Man’s Beard must go from here, but we will have to put up with it over there???. This means that yes, some areas will be left untreated. But it also means that we are doing all we can for those areas that are worth saving from the effects of this terrible environmental weed.

Horizons has to weigh up all these factors and prioritise areas for treatment. We want to make sure we can make a difference and that we have the resources to continue to treat areas, sometimes for up to 15 years. Yes, some difficult decisions must be made if we are to have any effect on this insidious weed.

* By Malinda Matthewson Environmental Management Officer Plants, Horizons Regional Council (Ph 0212277164). Next week, how we prioritise areas for treatment and what does a “containment area “ for Old Man’s Beard really mean.

Where to now with old man's beard?

It is time for the “Old Man’s Beard must go??? slogan to be revised. Old Man’s Beard, (OMB) is so widespread throughout our Region that it is impossible to eradicate.

However, keeping this serious weed down to non-damaging levels in high priority areas of native biodiversity, and attempting to stop it spreading to important areas free of the weed, is difficult but not impossible.

This is where Horizons’ concept of “containment??? areas and “control??? areas for Old Man’s Beard comes in. A map showing these two areas is available on the Horizons website (www.horizons.govt.nz) or from any office Horizons office. Within the containment zone, which covers the areas with the highest infestations, Horizons only controls OMB within areas of native biodiversity. This covers bush remnants, wetland areas and sometimes buffer zones to protect these important areas. The upshot of this “site specific??? policy is that OMB in some areas goes untreated and unfortunately, when untreated it is usually highly visible to the public, looks unsightly, is a nuisance for gardeners and keeps adding seed to the environment.

click here for a larger image

For these reasons, the “site specific??? model of control has been roundly criticised. People rightly say that they have been told for years that “Old Man’s Beard must go??? and yet here is Horizons letting it flourish in certain places.

People see OMB as they travel around the region and want it all gone, not understanding that this goal is neither achievable, affordable or the best use of resources.

Within the containment zone, Horizons prioritises the areas where OMB is controlled. Many factors are considered in setting the priority areas, such as what native and pest species are present, how feasible it is to treat the area long term, whether the area is fenced, whether it has legal protection and, most importantly, is the land owner agreeable to control?

After all these factors are considered a practical management plan is drawn up and the OMB is treated. Sometimes this means only the plants within the bush block are treated as buffer zones are not feasible or cost effective. Letting OMB flourish not far from areas being treated may seem to some a backward step, but in the long run it usually achieves our goal of limiting the damage it does to our native biodiversity, in the most efficient and cost effective manner.

Outside the containment area the control of OMB is treated differently. This area is the “OMB control area??? and covers the area where it is either not widespread or is absent altogether. Horizons treats all sites of OMB found in the control area in order to protect native biodiversity and prevent it moving in to areas that are presently clear.

Old Man’s Beard is very successful at invading new areas so resources are used to monitor clear areas and detect new sites early, when they are at a controllable size. This also means working closely with other agencies such as the Department of Conservation to ensure control efforts are coordinated to get the best results.

Most of the areas that Horizons treats within the control area are not easily accessible to the public. Most work goes unseen and it is the bush and its inhabitants that benefit the most from not having their homes invaded and compromised by OMB.

Let’s face it, Old Man’s Beard is here to stay but we can minimise the effect it has on our precious bush areas, as long as we accept the approach that “it must go from here, but we will have to put up with it over there???. This way we will ensure we protect and preserve our precious native biodiversity for future generations.

* Next week we will discuss how homeowners and landowners can tackle this weed. We will also discuss other weeds that are poised waiting to become the next Old Man’s Beard.

The rules have changed

Horizons’ goal, when it comes to managing Old Man’s Beard (OMB), is to keep this serious weed down to non-damaging levels in high priority areas of native biodiversity, while attempting to stop it spreading to important areas that are currently free of the weed.

One of the tools to help us achieve these goals is the use of “containment??? and “control??? areas for OMB.

This means that Horizons does not come and clear OMB from properties within the containment area unless the site is a high priority area of native biodiversity, meaning it has special features of flora and/or fauna. Outside those areas, however, Horizons can help with identification and practical advice on how to get rid of it.

OMB can easily be confused with other vines and especially with the native clematis species. There are however a couple of differences between Clematis vitalba (OMB) and native clematis. The native species have their leaves arranged in leaflets of three, they flower before Christmas and have smooth vines. They do not lose their leaves in winter and are much less rampant than OMB. They never smother and kill the trees they grown in!

OMB has five leaflets, it flowers after Christmas and has ribbed vines that can grow to 20cm or more in diameter. OMB loses its leaves in autumn but has fluffy “beards??? that stay on the plant long after the leaves have been shed. OMB grows vigorously, dominating other vegetation and becoming a nuisance in gardens and waste areas.

Controlling OMB is never easy but people can help to stop it spreading by tackling any that is present on their properties. There are various ways to control OMB, starting with digging out and disposing of small plants or seedlings. Always dispose of the weeds responsibly by burning, or taking them to a landfill or transfer station. Do not compost and NEVER simply dump OMB plants.

Composting does not kill OMB and dumped plants will grow and cause new problems for yourself or someone else. Small plants can also be sprayed with a suitable herbicide but caution is needed to avoid spraying desirable plants. Vines can also be traced back to ground level and cut and treated with herbicide.

OMB can be treated all year round but best results from spraying are achieved when the plant is actively growing in spring and early summer.

If you are unsure whether you have OMB on your property or are unsure how to control it, you can ring Horizons Regional Council on 0508 800 800 and request advice from a Pest Plant Officer. Officers can identify OMB for you and advise on how best to control it.

OMB grows rampantly when unchecked and can very quickly become a nuisance on your own property as well as escaping to plague your neighbours. It is important to control OMB before it impacts on others and infests waste areas and roadsides.

It is also very important to dispose of this weed responsibly. It does cost money to take greenwaste to a landfill or transfer station but illegal dumping on roadsides and in waste areas has been the start of many weed problems in our Region. The cost of these weed problems far outweighs the cost of going to a landfill and it is a cost that must shouldered by all of us.

OMB has been around for a while now and we have paid the price of not tackling this weed before it really got a foothold in our Region.

* Next week I will introduce the OMBs of the future – weeds waiting to do as much damage as OMB, if we let them.

The Next Old man’s Beard:

While there’s a lot of concern about Old Man’s Beard in the district, it’s important also to be aware of other weeds that haven’t yet escaped to the extent that OMB has.

Unfortunately the OMB horse has bolted, so to speak; catching it and putting it back in the stable is no longer a practical solution! Our only option now is to manage it.

This week we look at other weeds that threaten to join their OMB stable mate and run rampant through the environment, destroying it as they go. And we look at what Horizons doing to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Three weeds that are of particular concern in our area are chilean rhubarb, climbing spindleberry and banana passionfruit. All three started life as garden plants and while not having a big impact on our area as yet, they have become big problems in neighbouring regions. Banana passionfruit has already been put into “containment??? in some parts of our region but luckily it is not too widespread in the Taihape area yet. However, this vine with attractive flowers and edible fruits has proven to be even worse than OMB in the Wellington region.

Chilean rhubarb is a water-loving plant that has invaded 40kms of Taranaki coastal cliffs. We do not want it to do the same to our wetlands or iconic river cliffs.

Climbing spindleberry is an attractive vine used in floral arranging, but has proven to be as invasive and destructive as OMB in the Taupo region. We can learn from the experiences of other regions and work hard to make sure these three weeds do not do the same sort of damage in the Taihape area. Horizons is in the process of raising awareness of these problem weeds and actively controlling them outside home gardens. The next step is to contact home owners and start controlling them in gardens. The council cannot risk them escaping and causing damage on the same level as Old Man’s Beard, so these weeds must go!

If you have these plants in your garden or know of wilding sites please contact Horizons on 0508 800 800 so they can be controlled. While gardeners can control these weeds themselves, Horizons will identify and control them for free and you will have done your bit for the environment. Just remember, the golden rule is NEVER dump these weeds as it only contributes to the ongoing weed problem in our area.