Identifying grasses courses

December 2020

Megan Wyllie Invasive Species Coordinator

In mid-November, the NSW Government funded Weeds Action Program partnered with TOCAL College to provide a series of courses to assist participants across the South East with grass identification.

The ability to identify native and invasive grasses has taken on new and greater significance as much of the South East recovers from the Southern fires.

The training is very useful for staff as they are often asked about grasses on landholder’s properties, whether it is a weed/native or whether they need to spray it. After completing this training, staff can use their newfound grass identification skills to assist the landholder in assessing their land, the condition of the soil, the surrounding environment and suitability of the vegetation for stock feed.

The first course held in Bungendore, had a mixture of council staff and ACT invasive species staff. The second, in Moruya, had attendees from council and staff from the local Aboriginal Land Council.

Day one consisted of plant taxonomy, identifying plant features, plant health and use of keys for identification. The second day involved a practical component designed to challenge what we had already learned as we collected and identified local grasses for classification using the NSW Guide to Grasses key to result in a genus and species of our samples.

The course was highly interactive and the trainer, Andrew Lucas, guided participants through the complex word of grass identification with a mix of magnifying glasses, quizzes and workbook tasks.

The feedback from participants was very positive with all commenting they had a achieved a higher level of confidence in their skills which they could then use to support landholders.

If you need assistance in identifying grass species, please contact your local council Biosecurity Officer or Weeds Inspector.