Besom Heath Eradication Project
Using funding from the State Government's Weed Action Fund, Tamar NRM successfully ran a three-year project tackling Besom Heath, an invasive special with a relatively small population in the West Tamar.
Besom heath (Erica scoparia) is an introduced shrub from Europe. It is a close relative of the more widespread Spanish heath, and can be easily confused. The infestation at Bridgnorth and Rosevale is the only known population of Besom Heath anywhere in Australia, as such much of the project was related to trialling appropriate control methods.
Besom heath has a similar invasive potential to spanish heath or gorse, forming impenetrable thickets when left untreated.
The large grant from the Tasmanian Government's Weed Action Fund allowed Tamar NRM and partners to run chemical trials on a property at Bridgenorth, which allowed for planning and treatment, with the goal of eradicating besom heath for the area. The project came to it's conclusion in 2024 following insufficient uptake from local landowners.
Project Outcomes:
Identification of appropriate chemical control methods-leading to the development of the 'Herbicides for Besom Heath Control' manual (available here).
Development of the 'Best Practise Guide for Controlling Besom Heath' (available here).
Population size and distribution maps.
Please contact us at admin@tamarnrm.com.au for more information regarding this project.
