National Willows Taskforce

Meet the national willows taskforce... (pdf - 538kb)

National weed risk assessment of willows in Australia

The National Willows Taskforce has commenced a national weed risk assessment of willows in Australia in order to objectively prioritise willow species, groupings and locations for coordinated control programs at the regional, State/territory and national levels. This process utilises published literature and expert opinion on the biology, ecology and current and potential distribution of each willow.

Given that there are over 300 willow taxa world wide, with a complex variety of species, subspecies, varieties, hybrids and cultivars, it is not feasible to assess the weed risk of all willow taxa individually. We have therefore adopted an objective process to determine which species or groupings of willows will be assessed. This list was developed in consultation with the nursery industry, through communication with willow growers (from Aussie Plant Finder) and the Nursery and Garden Industry Australia's e-newsletter. Click here to see list of species for assessment.

Results
Full impacts assessments of each taxa with evidence for each score (pdf - 373kb)

Developing willow management priorities

This project, which addresses high priority actions in the National Willows Strategy, was sponsored by the Australian Government Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and Department of Agriculture, Fisheries (through the Defeating the Weed Menace Program) and administered by the Department of Primary Industries Victoria on behalf of the National Willows Taskforce. This extensive resource will assist land mangers in developing willow management priorities by: determining the current distribution of naturalised willow taxa, producing risk assessments and interactive maps of the current and potential distribution of all willow taxa present in Australia for state and national planning, developing a national prioritisation matrix based on risk and feasibility for coordinated control; and establishing a process for monitoring change across Australia.

This resource can be accessed online at: www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/weeds_trees_willow_resources Limited copies of CDs containing the "Developing willow management priorities" resources are also available from the National Willows Coordinator email: Kelly.Snell@dpi.vic.gov.au

Willows - Friend or Foe?

Limited hard copies available FREE of charge from the National Willows Coordinator - email Kelly.Snell@dpi.vic.gov.au

National Willows Program Resource Kit

The following 6 resource sheets together form the National Willows Program Resource Kit. The kit provides important information for managers on mapping, willow identification and the willow sawfly.
	This resource kit was developed through funding from the Australian Government's Defeating the Weeds Menace Program for a project titled 'Developing Willow Management Priorities from the Local to the National Level'. The priorities and distribution maps developed for each region and State/Territory through the mapping and weed risk assessment components of this project will be posted at this site by March 2008. See Resource Sheet 1 for details on how you can become involved in this important project. Resource sheet 1 - Developing Willow Management Priorities (pdf - 318kb) Resource sheet 2 - Willow identification (pdf - 1740kb) Resource sheet 3 - Willow Sawfly (pdf - 929kb) Resource sheet 4 - Willow & Willow sawfly Assessment Form (pdf - 353kb) Resource sheet 5 - Willow infestation classes (pdf - 4,879kb) Fill out your mapping information electronically using this Excel spreadsheet (xls - 36kb) Resource sheet 6 - Willow Impact & Management Survey (pdf - 359kb) Workshops evaluation report (pdf - 7,638kb)
Workshop presentations
	National context, impacts, spread and mapping.ppt (ppt (Powerpoint) - 6,261kb) Willow Identification: An essential skill for effective willow management Parts 1 & 2  (ppt (Powerpoint) - 14,638kb) Part 3  (ppt (Powerpoint) - 1,403kb) Part 4  (ppt (Powerpoint) - 2,180kb) Willow Sawfly (ppt (Powerpoint) - 5,427kb)

Willow sawfly

Willow Sawfly Activity in Victoria: 2007 - 2009 (pdf - 4,890kb)

Willow Sawfly (Nematus oligospilus) in Victoria (pdf - 615kb)

Willow Sawfly Activity in Victoria 2006 - 2007 (pdf - 1386kb)

Use this form to report sawfly activity (doc - 46kb)

Proceedings of the National Willows Research Forum

	Forum program (pdf - 779kb)
	Quantifying water savings from willow removal in creeks in south central NSW - 2009 (pdf - 203kb)
	Potential effects of willow removal on freshwater ecosystem dynamics (pdf - 33kb)
	Predictors of recruitment for willows invading riparian environments (pdf - 34kb)
	Willows on the Lower River Murray, South Australia (pdf - 48kb)
	Willows in small Victorian streams: mechanisms of spread and geomorphic effects of Salix fragilis (pdf - 87kb)	Presentation (pdf - 4,234kb)
	Genetic analysis of willow dispersal in Victoria (pdf - 36kb)	Presentation (pdf - 1784kb)
	Mapping willows at a catchment-scale: comparison of ASTER, SPOT5 and aerial photography (pdf - 41kb)	Presentation (pdf - 3,327kb)
	Adapting willow management strategies to deal with spread of the willow Sawfly (pdf - 125kb)	Presentation (pdf - 1599kb)
	Development of biological control options for invasive Salix in Australia (pdf - 42kb)	Presentation (pdf - 1449kb)
	Weed risk assessment of willows (Salix species) in Australia (pdf - 39kb)	Presentation (pdf - 3,531kb)
	Common questions raised by managers through willows workshops (pdf - 36kb)	Presentation (pdf - 361kb)
	Forum evaluation report (pdf - 2,435kb)

A tribute to the late Kurt Cremer

Willow infestation in our streams and rivers might not have been recognised as such an important natural resource issue today if not for the work of Kurt Cremer, who sadly passed away on 2nd June 2005 after a short illness.

Information on willows, by Kurt Cremer, including:
• Problem Willows
• Key to willows (Salix) in rural Australia
• Exterminate 'Wild Pussy Willow' and its most invasive relatives
• Willow Management for Australian Rivers
• Remove Willows to conserve Water?
• Strategies for Black Willow in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment

 Vale Kurt Cremer

Other Resources

Monitoring and Evaluation of Willow Management (pdf - 4,739kb)	Seeding willows: it may not happen overnight, but it will happen (pdf - 5,118kb)	The Willow Strip Newsletter Issue 1, April 2006 (pdf - 534kb)
How do invasive willows move across the Australian landscape (pdf - 355kb)	Declaration status of willows in Australia (pdf - 43kb)

Willow Management Guides

Weed Management Guide Willow - Salix spp. (external link) Hard copies available from the National Willows Coordinator

Alternatives to willows

Rehabilitating Australian Streambanks with Longstem Native Tubestock (pdf - 1083kb)

Journal articles

Potential Effects of Willow (Salix spp.) Removal on Freshwater Ecosystem Dynamics (pdf - 933kb)

Quantifying water savings from willow removal in creeks in south central NSW (external link)
'Distribution and host range of the recently introduced willow sawfly, Nematus oligospilus Forster, on willows (Salix spp.) in south-east Australia (pdf - 106kb)	'For a copy of the proceedings of the 15th Australian Weeds Conference visit www.weedinfo.com.au

SITE MAP