An easy change to an agricultural weed control technique is helping farmers manage weeds, improve riparian vegetation and prevent streambank erosion.

Vegetation along waterways (known as riparian vegetation) is important for stabilising creek banks—tree roots hold the banks together and slow the water flow down, preventing erosion.

In recent times, landholders in the Mossman area have expressed concern about thinning or receding riparian vegetation. Given that creek bank erosion is a major issue for farmers it’s understandable they’re worried by the changes to their riparian zones.

Terrain NRM’s Ruginia Duffy said that planting trees is time consuming and can be expensive.

“The good news is we’ve learned that making a small tweak to traditional spraying regimes— switching from a non-selective to selective herbicide—is an easy and effective way of improving riparian condition,” said Ms Duffy.

Favourable climatic conditions in the Wet Tropics means the natural seed bank in the soil usually grow easily and unassisted.

However, when non-selective herbicides are used to control problematic weeds like guinea grass, native tree seedlings are also inadvertently sprayed out. Over time this hinders the riparian forest’s ability to regenerate and repair itself, leading to thinning and receding, and eventually bank erosion.

Marcus Bulstrode from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries works with cane growers to support the development and uptake of sustainable farming practices.

Yellow-bellied gliders and native frogs are on the wish-list for a degraded creek reserve near Ravenshoe that is undergoing a transformation.

Terrain NRM and the Tablelands Regional Council have joined forces to restore land at South Cedar Creek by removing guinea grass and lantana, and planting hundreds of native trees.

More than 1000 trees went into the ground recently, after spraying and brush-cutting marked the start of a four-year restoration program.

Terrain NRM’s Tony O’Malley said seven hectares was being targeted as part of a bigger project “Native Vegetation: Many Hands Make Light Work” which is funded by Terrain through the Queensland Government’s Natural Resources Investment Program, to improve the resilience of big patches of native vegetation in partnership with local councils.

Tablelands Regional Council’s Kylie Freebody said the land was in Marshall Park reserve near the top of Tully Falls Rd, and the focus was on restoring wet sclerophyll forest.

“This country is really important for quite a few species that are listed as ‘vulnerable’, as well as three endangered eco-systems,’’ she said. “We’re looking to help species like the yellow-bellied glider, greater glider, magnificent brood frog, Lumholtz’s tree kangaroo and tapping green-eyed frog.

“This land is considered an important linkage for biodiversity conservation but over the years it has been taken over by invasive weeds.”

Lantana is listed as a Weed of National Significance and guinea grass is a transformer weed which out-competes native vegetation.

A major threat to world-heritage rainforest in the Mossman area is sending work crews into the thick of forests.

Crews spent six weeks freeing-up a creek system on a property bordering Mossman National Park in the latest assault on the invasive weed hiptage which is smothering rainforest north of Cairns.

Douglas Shire Council Biosecurity Team Leader Brad Everett said the hiptage incursion was almost impenetrable.

“It’s a really hard, woody vine that grows up trees and smothers them – it gets so heavy it can bring the trees down,’’ he said. “Then it throws roots down and becomes a dense bramble.”

He estimates work crews cut down thousands of mature vines and removed tens of thousands of seedlings during the six-week campaign which is part of a regionwide Native Vegetation Improvement Project funded by Terrain NRM through the Queensland Government’s Natural Resources Investment Program.

“We almost had a monoculture – now the native forest can regenerate and self-seed in this area,’’ Mr Everett said.

Douglas Shire Council and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service have been working for more than a decade to contain hiptage in a 60-hectare section of the Mossman River Catchment.

“Over the years we’ve got to the stage where we can walk through sections that were once choked with hiptage and just remove one or two seedlings,’’ Mr Everett said.

“We run aerial surveys and on-ground monitoring each year. The funding from Terrain NRM will also allow us to begin another eradication program in coming months in a different Tara Hills area.”

Terrain NRM’s Tony O’Malley said work was also underway to improve the resilience of big patches of native vegetation on the Tablelands and in the Cassowary Coast region.

“This project has brought councils from across the region together to decide on priority areas of native vegetation where they can make measurable improvements over the next few years through funded on-ground works,” he said.