Bushy Creek Catchment Group (Landcare)
Tree Plantation Competition March 2008
It was a pleasure to visit these properties to see the great work that has been done over
many years. In each case it was obvious that the works were part of an on-going plan that
encompassed the entire farm and covered many aspects of natural resource management.
Stuart Cumming – “Fernleigh”
This entry was a near perfect 2 year old shelterbelt that had been planted to address shelter
and salinity and was linked to previous plantings to form corridors and provide bio diversity
and habitat for the numerous birds that were regularly seen on our visit.
This planting was of 4 rows of a good mixture of trees and shrubs, weed control and
ground preparation appeared after this time to be very good and resulted in very good
growth rates with no failures. My only negative comment would be that a wider shelterbelt,
may be 6 rows would be more beneficial for both livestock and the birds. I thought also that
further down the track the outside rows may be too close to the fences and as the trees
reach for the light they tend to lean over and eventually fall on the fence.
A great example of an on-going revegetation project that links together, addresses shade,
shelter, salinity and bio-diversity as well as productivity.
It was a pleasure to visit this farm.
Robert and Pam Knight
This visit was an eye opener, to see almost every fence line with revegetation along it , mid
paddock shelter and a sometimes steep and eroding creek fenced out and planted with a
good mixture of trees. All of the plantings linking to this “spine” as well as the creek area
were remarkable considering a lot of the seedlings were grown and planted by this couple
who have seen a lot more Summers than the rest of us.
A feature is the mid paddock plantings in circles, which are quite large in comparison to
those that you usually see on farms in the SW of Vic. In these circles was a good mixture of
trees that have been planted over the last few years. One spectacular one in the SW corner
of the property is natural regeneration from a mature Red Gum that is in the middle of the
paddock. After a crop the young germinants were noticed and protected by fencing before
livestock were reintroduced. Thousands of young trees are now 4-5m. high providing shelter
and habitat.
Once again the plantings could have been wider and certainly further away from the fences.
It was my pleasure to have a conducted tour of this lovely farm that has been transformed
over the last 23 years by such dedicated and passionate people.
Adrian and Helen Lyon
A different property and a different scenario altogether. New owners who have thought long
and hard and have tried very hard to get the planning right before they have started the on
ground works. Their plantings over the last 3 years have been carefully sited to have the
maximum effect for shelter and for the best interception of ground water on the hilltops to
prevent any further loss on the salinity discharge areas in the bottom of the gullies. Salinity
in this area is a real threat to continuing production and must be addressed if stocking rates
are to be maintained. Adrian and Helen are to be commended for their dedication to doing
the planning first and not rushing in and “getting something in the ground”
The thought and time that has gone into the spacing of their plants is truly remarkable.
Adrian has observed in the surrounding trees both natural and planted, that where trees are
too close together, they can not achieve their full potential in size and more importantly in
height which is of the utmost importance when you are looking for shelter across your
paddocks. By spacing his trees at 5 m. apart it gives the plants every opportunity as well as
cutting down the amount of work at planting and no doubt it follows the cost is also much
lower.
The establishment was a mixture of planting and direct seeding which also cut down the
cost and time needed to establish trees.
3 different properties, all well worth seeing by other landowners,certainly a credit to the
owners for the years of hard work that they have put in. After time the results do start to
stand out and I am sure these people are now justifiably proud of their achievements.
I had a most difficult task and I would like to give a triple first prize but I do not think that
would right or fair ,I would be just ducking my responsibility, so after much deliberation I
think that Pam and Robert Knight are the winners of the farm trees competition for their
excellent recent plantings as well as the tremendous work over the previous years.
Many thanks
Cheers Peter W
Peter Waldron
Glenelg Hopkins CMA