Ohinewai Unrecognizable After Huge Weed Control Effort

Lake Ohinewai, one of our WCEET funded projects, has undergone a huge transformation over the last year. It has been a big job to remove the abundant weeds that were present at the project prior to site preparation beginning. However, the team has done a great job, and, despite having to battle the weather, it is now ready for planting in August / September this year.

Waikato Weed Spraying and Spray Rig Ltd have been busy completing the weed spraying on site, which began in August 2016. This project also presented the opportunity to try out a new method that Waikato RiverCare Inc. had not used before. Due to the high value remnant vegetation on site, the use of Stiles Contracting Ltd’s specialised machinery was undertaken. The bobcat was used to accurately clear the targeted weeds while leaving non-targeted vegetation intact. Surface flooding on the project early in the year meant that works had to be postponed before it could be completed slightly behind schedule in April.

Lake Ohinewai

After the first agrichemical application.

Lake Ohinewai

After Stiles Contracting has been in with their bobcat to remove the dead vegetation.

Lake Ohinewai

What we started with, pre-weed control.

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Click through the above slideshow to see the progress.

After Stiles Contracting completed their weed control, Broughtons Contracting Limited came through to clear the vegetation too large for the bobcat’s mulcher. We have been very impressed with Stiles Contracting’s machinery and the results it delivered on this project. Equipment like this provides new opportunities and methods in establishing projects in weedy areas containing high value vegetation that would otherwise be compromised using conventional site preparation methods.

Thanks once again to the Waikato Catchment Ecological Enhancement Trust for your support, not only of the Lake Ohinewai project, but of the many others that WCEET is contributing to.