[Ballarat Courier 21 Dec 2011 by Neelima Choahan p.6] -- WHEN it comes to saving our forests from deadly weeds, the ever popular holly is a folly that should be avoided this Christmas, a prominent conservationist has said. Blackwood and Barrys Reef Landcare secretary Pat Liffman said holly (Ilex aquifolium L.) may be a symbol of peace and goodwill but it had the potential to "strangle" forests. "Holly is about one of the worst (weeds)," Ms Liffman said. "We all revere it as a personification of good will at Christmas but people should think very carefully about the use of holly and cultivating it in their gardens because it could suffocate the whole forest." The weed, she said, was particularly hard to eliminate because of its waxy exterior. "You can’t spray it," Ms Liffman said. "The only way you can eliminate it is by cutting it and painting the remaining stem by hand. "It is time consuming and a very costly exercise which is funded by the tax payer." [Photo credit: ALA]
Ms Liffman’s comments follow a landmark forum, held last month, which saw eight government agencies come together to combat weeds in the Wombat State Forest and Lerderderg State Park. "Forests are heading for disaster," she said. "There are large areas of Lerderderg State Park that are tragically cluttered with weeds...we could lose our trees."
Ms Liffman said the forum would allow all concerned parties to work together and come up with a more consistent approach towards the problem of weeds.
Blackwood and Barry’s Reef Landcare president Shane Scanlan said he was thrilled participants had agreed to meet every year to exchange plans and collectively plan an attack on invasive weeds."Blackwood Landcare organised the forum in response to an ever-increasing labyrinth of cross agency demarcations in the heavily forested area," Mr Scanlan said.
