Port Jackson clearing project – Sandbaai Community VID

*Jacksons Park, Sandbaai – the largest green space remaining in Sandbaai*

On Wednesday September 3rd, volunteers joined together to clear the invasive port jacksons from Jacksons Park in Sandbaai. Working in the field together were members of The Hermanus Hackers Group, Suki’s workers, Johnny from OM Parks division, Sandbaai Ratepayers Association, Schulphoek Action Group, and the SCVID.

Suki’s workers are regularly contracted to clear vegetation for the OM. The Hermanus Hackers Group worked closely with them to provide training on clearing port jacksons without chemicals. The workers learned quickly and now they know what to do in other areas where they work.

*The Hermanus Hackers Group workers (in red) train Municipal workers in clearing by hand.*

Thank you to Bamboo beach restaurant for donating pizzas for lunch to keep all the volunteers going.

The Hermanus Hackers Group brought specialised tools to assist in removal of larger port jacksons and other volunteers brought garden tools such as forks.

The various groups working together were able to clear a lot of port jackson, which will have a positive impact for years to come and prevent the destruction of vegetation that led to the proliferation of port jackson in the first place. It was great to see such a positive collaboration between volunteer groups and the OM, showing what we can accomplish together. We will be planning more clearing projects soon.

What is Port Jackson?

*Young port jackson saplings have large leaves and quickly spread to choke out other plants.*

Port Jackson is an invasive species Acacia saligna, a native of Australia that was introduced to South Africa to stabilise dunes but is now considered a pernicious weed due to its tendency to form dense stands, outcompete indigenous vegetation, and impact water systems. It is characterized by its long narrow leaves and bright yellow, globe-shaped flowers and is easily identified by large galls caused by the introduced rust fungus, Uromycladium tepparium, which weakens the tree.

Removal of port jackson is labour intensive because it will return even stronger if you do not get the roots out. Poisons meant to kill it must be carefully painted on by hand. Spraying poison on port jackson will kill the surrounding vegetation and often not kill the port jackson.

Port Jackson is known as a “pioneer species” because it grows easily in poor soil before other plants will. Where poison spraying has been used to remove port jackson, it can actually lead to proliferation of more port jackson.

Fields where there is healthy vegetation are more resistant to port jackson. When port jackson sprouts are young, they can be pulled up along with the roots. As they grow larger and the roots go deeper, especially in rocky areas, they become harder to remove. It is crucial that we remove port jackson properly to protect our indigenous vegetation and to prevent it spreading to other areas and choking out all the other plants.