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Weeds

Weeds threaten the sustainability and integrity of many native vegetation remnants in this part of the world and farmers have identified weeds as one of the major issues in the sustainability of their farming enterprises.

The first step in weed control is the correct identification of the weed and all weed control must integrate several approaches in order to be successful. This is called integrated weed control.

Integrated weed control considers

Choosing a range of tools for control
The removal of the weed (weed control)
Encouragement of desirable species (competition)
Follow-up control

Most importantly, when one plant is removed, because it is a weed, it should be replaced with a desirable plant, in order to not leave a vacancy in the system, which could otherwise be occupied by another weed.

Noxious weeds
Noxious weeds are those that are classified under legislation and require levels of control by law. The Noxious Weeds Act, 1993, was amended in 2005 and now has five classes of weeds:

Class 1	State prohibited (plants must be eradicated from the land and the land must be kept free of the plant)
Class 2	Regionally prohibited (as above)
Class 3	Regionally controlled (preventing spread, plants must be fully and continuously suppressed and destroyed)
Class 4	Locally controlled (impact of those plants on the economy, community or environment must be minimised, growth and spread of these plants to be controlled according to a local Council management plan)
Class 5	Restricted (prevent introduction, and spread of those plants in NSW)

Environmental weeds
Environmental weeds pose a threat to a community of native plants and animals. There may not be a legal responsibility to controlling some of these and government support is available to support environmental weed control in certain circumstances.

Bamboo
Camphor laurel
Celtis
Groundsel Bush
Lantana

Madeira vine
Mother of Millions
Privet
Salvinia

Agricultural weeds
These weeds can pose a threat to agricultural productivity or even just have a nuisance value.

Fireweed
Chilean Needle Grass
Coolatai Grass
Crofton Weed
Giant Paramatta Grass

Weed control
The first decision is to use chemical or non-chemical control methods. Following that is the choice between methods and herbicides.

When using a herbicide, following the label is essential. The label is a legal document and specifies the plants that the particular herbicide is registered to control, as well as application methods and application rates.

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) can be found on the Internet. These give detailed information about the chemical, any handling and transport restrictions, toxicity rating, poisoning advice, etc.