Plans are underway to elevate one of the shire’s most wanted noxious weeds, serrated tussock, from category W3 to category W2, making it essential for property owners to fully and continuously suppress and destroy outbreaks of it.

The new category would mean that if any serrated tussock is present on a property, it would have to be completely destroyed and prevented from re-infesting.

Accoprding to the Council, with a new selective herbicide back on the market for serrated tussock control, there is no reason for lack of cooperation in controlling the weed.

Also, in line with the proposed category change, is a proposal to charge a standard fee of $150 for re-inspection of properties that are affected by a Section 18 Notice to Control Noxious Weeds, as allowable under Section 26 of the Noxious Weeds Act 1993. This fee will apply specifically for property owners/occupiers who have not controlled the noxious weeds as stated on the weed notice. The fee is necessary to cover Council costs involved in the re-inspection.

As a category W2 weed serrated tussock will be brought in line with African love grass, blackberry, fireweed, nodding thistle, gorse, hemlock and pampas grass.

Wingecarribee Shire Council’s weeds officer Ken Folkes said serrated tussock was an “opportunist” weed which along with African love grass and fireweed tends to take hold of land, primarily in the western parts of the shire, but also colonising isolated pockets of poorer soils throughout the shire, including north to Yerrinbool, and south to Wingello.

“Generally speaking the soils and rainfall west of Bowral are quite different to east of Bowral they are sandstone and limestone soils with low rainfall where these types of weeds thrive,” he said.