Letter to the Editor |  Bike tracks worsen weed problems, not alleviate them.

I would like to take issue with councillor Jason Hamling’s assertion that 100 km of new bike trail will somehow solve the weed problem in Mount Canobolas State Conservation Area (Central Western Daily, October 19).

Clearing vegetation will cause disturbance to the soil and will allow more light in, providing perfect conditions for weed growth.

Furthermore, seeds will be spread along the trails by animals.

The trails will not (I sincerely trust) be wide enough for a vehicle, so access to control those weeds would be difficult.

And nobody has yet identified a source of funding for weed control.

As an ecologist, my opinion is that this development will worsen the problem, not alleviate it.

Cilla Kinross

Published in ‘Your Say’, Central Western Daily, 20 October 2021