Kangaroo Island Weeds After Fire Project

Key dates

Site visits are underway and are scheduled to be completed by mid-2023.

Project details

The weeds after fire project aims to help landholders reduce the risk of weed invasion by identifying new high-risk weeds on their property.

Through a free site visit, the program assists landholders in the 2019–20 Kangaroo Island fire scar with:

• surveillance for new, high risk weeds and identification of suspected weeds on your property
• information about risk management and prioritising control targets
• connecting you to weed control programs.

There is also a weed equipment subsidy available.

Why bushfires spread weeds

High risk weeds (invasive plants) can be spread easily including by vehicles and imported hay. After a bushfire, emergency response activities and rebuilding can move high risk weeds to new areas. Fire can also stimulate weed germination.

The spread of high-risk weeds after a bushfire can often be overlooked, as other pressing emergency response and recovery issues take priority. It can take several months after a fire for new weeds to become obvious.

High risk weeds that could spread to new areas include:

• serrated tussock (not yet established in SA)
• Chilean needlegrass (a few infestations being managed in SA)
• silverleaf nightshade (common in some regions of SA, absent in others)

These weeds impact farming operations, animal welfare and are costly to manage. The cost of weeds to the Australian agriculture industry is more than $4 billion each year.

Find out more about weeds in South Australia.

Book a site visit

To have your property surveyed for high-risk weeds, please contact:

Bianca Jones, Senior Weed Control Officer
Phone: 0436 599 853
Email: bianca.jones@sa.gov.au