This morning Ballina Shire Council will hear a motion from Cr Steve McCarthy to remove the native macaranga tree from the list of approved species for planting by Ballina Council and local community groups.
A common sight throughout the Northern Rivers, Macaranga tanarius is a rainforest tree which can grow up to 10 metres tall, with large heart-shaped leaves.
According to Cr McCarthy, without competition the tree ‘becomes more aggressive in speed of growth and size’, taking over banksia, tuckeroo, wattles and other species.
‘On the coast it originated at Lennox Point within the last ten years,’ he says. ‘Today it lines roadsides and invades remnant and regenerating littoral rainforests in Ballina Shire.’
In his motion, Cr McCarthy claims macarangas are killing native vegetation, before getting to his main point: ‘Its tall height blocks iconic views from the surfers car park, Pat Morton car park, the Coast Road, views from residences etc. In addition, they are now invading the iconic Norfolk Island pines at Sharpes Beach.’
Cr McCarthy ends his anti-macaranga motion calling for the species to be ripped out.
Staff response
Ballina Council staff seem unwilling to join in the anti-macaranga crusade, saying in their most recent Councillor Bulletin on the matter: ‘the macaranga is a pioneer species providing a very important first stage for the restoration of cleared, degraded and weed-infested lands’, as well as providing food for many native birds, and habitat for local frogs and butterflies.
‘They provide a fast-growing canopy with beneficial shade for slower growing, longer lived successional rainforest species to grow underneath. Over time, the successional rainforest species typically shade out the macaranga.’
It’s yet to be seen whether Cr McCarthy will find any support for his motion from fellow councillors.
Meanwhile throughout the Northern Rivers, major imported weeds like Giant Devils Fig, lantana and many others run riot.
Ballina Council is meeting a day early this month, because of the public holiday for Anzac Day tomorrow.
More stories about Ballina Shire Council:
The agenda for Thursday's meeting includes six notices of motion from four councillors, with issues including missing persons, volunteer recognition, and arts funding. Construction on a $4.35 million flood-resilience upgrade of Ross Lane at Lennox Head is due to begin today, ahead of a nine-week closure of the busy road later this month. With Ballina Shire Council General Manager Paul Hickey deciding to retire after almost twenty years in the role, and even longer as a staff member, the task of finding a replacement has begun. Cr Damien Loone was also returned as Deputy Mayor after Cr Simon Chate withdrew his nomination. September's meeting opened with a minute's silence for much-loved community member and Lennox Head restaurant owner Blake Rogers, who lost his life last week. Fresh from winning pre-selection as the Nationals candidate for the state seat of Ballina, the 'independent' first-term Ballina councillor Michelle Bailey has put forward a notice of motion asking Council to scrap its fixed 2030 net-zero target in favour of what she describes as a 'flexible sustainability strategy'.
Big meeting for Ballina Council this week
Ross Lane flood-resilience works begin ahead of nine-week closure
Ballina Council will be getting a new general manager
Ballina debates dog parks and net zero
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