Why do landowners plant trees in Jarrahmond? The answer, of course, is for a multitude of reasons.
Some are personal – improving the view from the house or creating a place for children to explore and enjoy nature.
Others are practical, such as reducing waterlogging in wet areas or slowing drying winds across paddocks to better protect cattle and pasture.
Increasingly, landowners are also recognising the long-term environmental and financial benefits that trees can provide.
Recently, one local landholder explained that she simply wanted trees in a paddock for her children and grandchildren to climb, just as she did when she was young. It was a joy for the group to help bring that vision to life.
The project involved fencing off an old, disused dam and revegetating, by planting a couple of hundred local endemic species suited to wetlands, wildlife habitat and shade creation.
For many years, Jarrahmond Landcare Group has been helping reconnect fragmented bushland throughout the district – planting not just trees, but also shrubs and grasses that support a wide range of native animals and birdlife.
At a recent planting day (with 11 volunteers), a local farmer reflected that only a couple of decades ago, many of the trees now visible along B Road simply did not exist.
Early adopters of revegetation in the area have worked steadily to rebuild biological links between remnant forests, rivers and wetlands. These landscape linkages are now understood to provide many additional benefits.
They can help slow wind movement across paddocks, improve stock health, retain soil moisture, and even reduce the spread and intensity of fire across the landscape.
This project has been made possible through the Victorian Government’s Victorian Landcare Grants Program, administered by the East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority.
For more information, contact Far East Victoria Landcare Facilitator Josh Puglisi.
