Alice Springs Landcare Athel Pine project

Alice Springs Landcare Inc.

Athel Pine (Tamarix aphylla) is a Weed of National Significance that was originally introduced to the Alice Springs region as a shade tree and to provide wind breaks and erosion control. Alice Springs Landcare Inc (ASL) has been working to help remove former amenity plantings from Alice Springs. Sunil Dhanji from ASL spoke about the project at a recent Natural Resource Management Forum held by Territory Natural Resource Management in Alice Springs.

“The project was originally brought together by our President Tim Collins, NT Government Weed officer Chris Brown and the National Athel Pine Coordinator Kay Bailey.

“Athel Pine is a major pest on the Finke River. In Alice it hasn’t got into the Todd River but it did establish in the eastern end of Ilparpe Valley at the sewerage works.”

Past amenity plantings around Alice Springs provide a potential source for new infestations, so ASL decided to help remove the last of the athel pines on house blocks. “There had been a haphazard approach to control in the past with some crown land cleared of athel, but we wanted to bring it all together.

With the help of three grants, including a Territory NRM local grant and a community action grant from Caring For Our Country, 58 Athel Pines have been removed. “To my knowledge there’s only one left.

“We brought a tree lopper in to knock them over, kill the stump and remove the material. The cost of removal had always been a problem, but the grants covered that and we found a site out of town where trees could be stockpiled and burnt.

“Athel Pine will get to 20m tall with a broad trunk, so removal was tricky, especially as some blocks had heritage buildings, WWII sites or power lines.

“Most people have been amenable to having their pines taken down. Some valued the shade and it’s taken a bit of negotiation. The landcare group has planted trees to replace some of the pines and conducted soil testing prior to planting to make sure salt levels have not increased.”