Cross Street Bushcare Group

Picture of Cross Street Bushcare Group

L to R: Alan Bewley, Tony Montgomery, Denise Scott, Ian Scott, Steve Barret, John Hollis and 'Boof' toasting the reserve on their 5th Birthday

Article by Brit Rollo, BMCC Bushcare Officer

This month (September 2006) Cross Street Bushcare Group celebrates its fifth birthday. Five years is a milestone for any Bushcare Group, but particularly for a group whose entire natural reserve was burnt during the Christmas bushfires of 2001.

Since the fires, whilst regeneration has been widespread and vigorous, many weed species have threatened to take advantage of the massive disturbance. None have been so successful as African Love Grass, the nemesis of many Bushcare groups. Nonetheless, with perseverance, the right tools, and an ongoing commitment from members of the Bushcare Group, African Love Grass is being systematically removed from Cross Street Natural Reserve. Concentrating our efforts on working from "the good bush to the bad", we continue to push the Love Grass to the edges of the reserve boundary.

We have been incredibly successful at removing seeding Love Grass, and have significantly reduced the seed bank of this species on our Bushcare site. As a group we have been heartened by the diversity and abundance of regeneration evident as a result of nature's work, complemented of course, by our own efforts. In a time of drought, the bush has shown its incredible resilience by "bouncing back".

In the first few weeks following the fire, grass trees shot up from the ashes, reaching a height of 2m in just 2 months.

Several species of Acacia also proliferated. Within a month or two, epicormic growth from banksias, eucalypts, turpentines and leptospermum species flourished.

This year the Bushcare group has been able to collect small amounts of seed for use in regeneration works. Seed collection from species flowering and seeding for the first time since the fires has been an exciting step, as it marks the progress of natural regeneration. The fire has given the group the opportunity to observe and learn, first-hand, the natural regenerative capacities of native plant species (and vegetation communities) following bushfire.