The removal of Aleppo Pines from the major highways in the lower Eyre Peninsula will help to protect native vegetation and wildlife and at the same time reduce roadside hazards.

Member for Flinders Liz Penfold today welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Transport and Urban Planning Diana Laidlaw of $10,000 funding for the Southern Eyre Aleppo Pine Management Group (SEAPMG) to continue the removal of Aleppo Pines along the Tod, Flinders and Lincoln Highway.

Now in its third year of operation, SEAPMG includes representatives from environmental organisations such as Landcare and the Southern Eyre Animal and Plant Control Board plus Local and State Government.

The Aleppo Pine is a proclaimed pest plant within the Southern Eyre Animal and Plant Control Board under the Animal and Plant Control Act, 1986.

Mrs Penfold says Aleppo Pines are a menace in the area as they take water from underground basins, deny a habitat for native birds and compete with native vegetation and are a fire hazard. However the Aleppo pines in the Wanilla Forest area will be retained as they have been identified as a food source for Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos.

"The pines also pose a roadside safety hazard for motorists because of their proximity to the verges and the tree roots damage the underlying structure of the roads," Mrs Penfold says.

Aleppo Pines – which are not native to the region - thrive in the weather conditions prevalent in the Southern Eyre Peninsula and spread rapidly into areas of natural vegetation, including water reserves and transport corridors.

The pines will be removed with new sprouts burnt to destroy seedlings and the area will be revegetated with local and natural species.