ERADICATION OF WEEDS

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29102, 14 January 1960, Page 8

ERADICATION OF WEEDS

Work At Arthur’s Pass

The eradication of noxious weeds in Arthur's Pass National Park has kept the park board’s senior ranger (Mr Peter Croft) and the assistant ranger and trainees busy over the last two weeks of settled, fine weather.

The continuous fine spell recently has provided ideal conditions for spraying of the weeds with hormone mixtures, which would lose much of their effectiveness in prevailing wet conditions. Most of the Infestation of weeds—including sweet briar, foxglove, thistles and lupins—are found adjacent to the road and railway through the park, possibly because of the movemenu of stock by rail and road through the area, and with seeds carried on horses during an earlier era. The destruction of weeds is an integral part of the national park boards’ work in preserving the parks in their natural state. The rangers have concentrated so far in spraying weeas between the park boundary at Bealey and the Arthur’s Pass township. Spraying is expected to continue without much let-up, except for wet weather, until the end of the month at least. The Westland side of the park, where large areas of broom and blackberry have become established, especially along riverbeds, will also receive attention in the spraying programme. The supervisor of national parks for New Zealand (Mr R. W. Cleland) is at present making a survey in the vast Fiordland National Park during which he will travel over the track from the head of Lake Manapouri to Dusky sound, through the Spey and Seaforth river catchments, to assess the possibilities of the area for tourist and recreational use.