Weeds are plants that can harm crops, industry, the environment, human health, or the community and can spread to other areas. But did you know that there are policies in place regarding certain weeds? Here, the best landscapers in Sydney share what you need to know about weeds policy in Parramatta City:
The Noxious Weeds Act 1994 categorised certain plants as “noxious weeds” and established control measures for them.
The NSW Biosecurity Act 2015 provides a framework to protect the state from the negative impacts of biosecurity threats. The Act consolidates and replaces a number of existing biosecurity-related Acts, including the Noxious Weeds Act 1994.
The new Act provides for a risk-based approach to managing weeds. For instance:
There are highly invasive plants that are not present in NSW but are listed as prohibited matter; prevention of its biosecurity risk is deemed a reasonably practical objective.
Some have limited distributions and are prescribed mandatory measures so they can be eradicated to eliminate biosecurity risk.
It doesn’t matter if plants have specific actions recommended to be done with them. The NSW Biosecurity Act 2015 recognises that everybody who knows or should reasonably know that a certain plant poses a biosecurity risk has a general duty to avoid, remove, and reduce that biosecurity risk as much as possible.
Biosecurity Risk Weeds
The Minister for Primary Industries administers the Biosecurity Act 2015. However, the Act is implemented and strictly enforced by the city as your Local Control Authority (LCA).
The Greater Sydney Regional Strategic Weed Management Plan (2017 – 2022), which has been created by the Greater Sydney Local Land Services, outlines two categories of Priority Weeds:
- State Priority Weeds
- Regional Priority Weeds
These two main categories have specific control measures for individual species of weeds.
Also on the list are “other weeds of regional concern,” which have gone through a weed risk assessment process used to identify weeds’ outcomes. The category is also called the “Local Priority Weeds.”
Weed Identification and Control
You can check NSW WeedWise, an NSW Department of Primary Industry website, to see more than 300 high-priority weeds across the state and Greater Sydney Region. It also describes in detail the Biosecurity duty required under the Biosecurity Act 2015 for every plant on the list, including control methods.
There are also recommended simple weed removal techniques that you can try.
How to Deal With Weeds on Your Neighbour’s Property
Weeds can be a nuisance, especially when they’re on your neighbour’s property. Here’s how you can deal with them:
- Talk to your neighbour. They may not be aware of weeds on their property and would be more than happy to deal with them.
- If talking to your neighbour doesn’t work, ask if you can try to remove the weeds yourself. Just be sure to take care not to damage your neighbour’s property in the process.
- If all else fails, you can always contact your local council. They can inspect the property to determine whether the plant is listed under the NSW Biosecurity Act 2015 and needs to be controlled. If there are no legislative requirements, but it is deemed by the local officer to be a biosecurity risk that needs to be practicably addressed, they can take action.
Conclusion
Weeds are plants that can pose a risk to many aspects of our lives and should be managed and controlled. They can significantly impact the environment, the community, and the economy, so we must take steps to keep them from spreading and causing harm. Understanding the city council weeds policy is important for you to know what action should be taken to manage and control certain weeds in your area. Of course, you can expect the best landscapers in Sydney to be well-versed in this policy, so you can trust them to take the necessary steps should there be any growth of weeds on your property.
Northside Tree and Garden Service are one of the best landscapers in Sydney that can meet your needs. Contact us today to know more about our services!
