This may look like weekend fun on four wheels, but weed surveying is serious business.

Rural Solutions SA staff are using quad bikes to undertake a survey to map weed distribution and abundance along creek lines, tracks, infrastructure and other high-impact areas at Bimbowrie Station, 425km north of Adelaide.

Animal & Plant Control Consultant from PIRSA’s Clare office, Leah Feuerherdt said that from the results of the survey, a spatial dataset of weed distribution on the property was developed to be used for planning and on-ground works.

“While driving around on the quad bikes, we recorded the species and location of each weed, as well as the age, density and condition of the weed species,” she said.

“The quad bikes provide us with better vision and a level of manoeuvrability across some difficult terrain that a four wheel drive just wouldn’t allow for.

“From the information gathered, landowners will have better understanding of weed occurrence and distribution for management purposes.”

Caption
Senior Animal and Plant Control Consultant Heidi Nicholson gets down and dirty on a quad bike during a weed survey on Bimbowrie Station.

For further information contact Leah Feuerherdt.