Broom, is a scrawny shrub that multiplies quickly, competing with natives and rapidly changing the landscape.
It’s explosive seed mechanism spreads seeds up to 1.5m from the parent plant. They are easily caught in animal fur, and wind can blow them even further, so broom can quickly colonise braided riverbanks and tussock grassland areas. Broom is also a legume that fixes nitrogen in the soil, disturbing the ecology of an area by changing the type of plants that can survive where it has been growing.
There are two main infestations in the project area, at Jollie River and Takapō’s Boundary Stream, an area of approximately 230 ha. That means we have the opportunity to deal to it before it spreads out of control.
Photos : Phil Tisch, Peter Willemse