Dense Nassella Found Near Evans Pass

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31560, 23 December 1967, Page 1

Dense Nassella Found Near Evans Pass

A dense growth of mature nassella tussock has been found on about 50 acres of hill grazing land on the Godley Head side of Evans Pass. It was described yesterday by the Fields Superintendent of the Department of Agriculture (Mr A. R. Dingwall) as “quite serious, and strategically-located for widespread distribution.”

Plans were announced yesterday for an intensive search beyond the immediate area. The nassella was discovered in full seed, and to reduce the danger of wind-spread, six bags of seed were removed before the plants were grubbed out.

“The main outbreak is in Christchurch city, and the City Council will be asked to take strenuous steps to see that it is controlled,” said the chairman of the Canterbury Nassella Tussock Co-ordin-ating Committee (Mr W. C. Miller). “It is a real plaster,” said Mr Miller. “The main area is about 100 yards on the Godley Head side of the top of Evans Pass. The nassella is particularly dense, and I would say some of the tussocks are 10 years old. “How far the nassella has spread, nobody knows without further search, but it has spread over the city boundary into Lyttelton borough. “We want the City Council to toe the line, and will ask it to join the nassella committee. The council has been sending inspectors to committee meetings, and we feel that is not enough.” Mr Miller said that for some years the co-ordinating committee and the Banks Peninsula Noxious Weeds Committee had thought that insufficient attention was being paid by the City Council to the possibility of nassella infestation on the hills. Wind-Borne Seed A City Council inspector, Mr W. Eves, said that as soon as the nassella report had been confirmed, immediate steps were taken to get the tussocks grubbed out. Early in January it was proposed to join forces with the Lyttelton Borough Council and Heathcote County Council staff to make a wider search on the hills. “We’ve only had a quick look, and the obvious nassella in the vicinity has been grubbed,” he said. Mr Eves said the general opinion was that the nassella had come originally from wind-borne seed from the main North Canterbury nassella tussock area, at its

nearest point about 40 miles to the north-west.

There bad been only two minor nassella finds previously in the city area, said Mr Eves. One was on the hills and the other was at Queen Elizabeth II Park. Both had been controlled. Immediate Action

“We are not waiting for the City Council to act next month. We will start next week,” said the Banks Peninsula Noxious Weeds Control Committee’s inspector (Mr H. W. Fawcett), emphasising the need for speed in detecting the nassella before it seeded.

Mr Fawcett has no jurisdiction in the city, but Lyttelton and Heathcote belong to the Peninsula group. He said he would start the search with help from Messrs W. Cable and F. Cronin, of the Lyttelton Borough Council’s staff, and the farm manager, Mr W. Morgan. He had asked the Paparua County Council’s inspector (Mr F. E. Hoskin) to help. Mr Fawcett said he was deeply concerned both at the extent of the mature infestation and at the probability that its seed bad been broadcast for possibly 10 years. There were already two major nassella blocks in his district, said Mr Fawcett. One, at Camp Bay, was discovered in 1961. It was three miles across the harbour from the Evans Pass outbreak, and almost dead in line with northwesterly winds. The other outbreak, discovered at Cashmere in 1956, was six miles away to the west Thousands of dollars had been spent on these properties to bring the nassella under control, but because of its spread, the scope of operations had been greatly extended. Mr Fawcett said the nassella could have spread over the hillsides between Evans Pass and Godley Head, and might well be found in a 500-acre block of leased Crown land, near the lighthouse. “First-class Job” Mr Fawcett praised Mr Morgan, who, as farm manager, made the discovery. He is familiar with nassella tussock, and spotted its unmistakable plumes of silvery seedheads. “He has been most cooperative, is dead keen to get rid of the nassella, and has started a first-class clearance job,” said Mr Fawcett.

Mr Dingwall, who is chairman of the Government interdepartmental committee on nassella tussock visited Evans Pass earlier this week with another committee member, Mr A. J. Healy, a botanist with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

Mr Dingwall said a very good job had been done in eradicating the known nassella. The plants he had seen would be at least five years old.

As the land was* inside the city, its owner would not qualify for the Government subsidy which was payable for nassella control, said Mr Dingwall. The Nassella Tussock Act made provision for subsidy only in county areas. “A similar situation has arisen with the Manukau City Council at Auckland, and amendment of the act is being considered to bring municipalities within the scope of the subsidy scheme," he said.