Willows and other exotic trees removed from Merri

After meeting with local residents, the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority (GHCMA) decided to leave three more exotic trees than planned including a mulberry tree which the authority said had “high social values”.

Woody weed species including willows were last month removed from 38 per cent of the site with 25 per cent of the exotics remaining to provide over storey canopy, habitat and amenity while the revegetation matured in the coming years, the GHCMA said.

The site is due to be revegetated in spring this year with more than 1000 plants including native trees, shrubs and grasses. 

The clearance and revegetation is part of the Merri River restoration project that aims to this year plant 9900 plants along the Merri River between Caramut Road and the Wollaston Road bridge.   

The project aims to improve the river’s water quality, link patches of existing native vegetation and improve access to the river banks for recreational activities.

The restoration project sprang from a meeting between the GHCMA, community groups and Warrnambool City Council in November, 2015, that backed a move to revitalise the waterway.

As part of the project, woody weeds were removed and revegetation undertaken last year on a number of sites along the river between Wollaston Road to Caramut Road Bridge.

Warrnambool mayor Kylie Gaston said waterways were important areas for recreational pursuits and contributed substantially to the social well-being of Warrnambool residents.

“The plan to revegetate the riverbanks on the Manuka Drive Reserve will enhance the environmental and amenity values of the site,” she said.

GHCMA chief executive officer Kevin Wood said the removal of woody weeds from the banks of the Merri was the first step in creating another link in the biodiversity corridor along the Merri River.