A collaborative effort across local Landcare groups, fire brigades and primary students has seen hundreds of specialised native seedlings planted to form a new ‘firewise’ shelterbelt at the Glenaladale Reserve.
The initiative unfolded across two productive working days, bringing together volunteers from the Glenaladale Landcare Group, Flaggy Creek Landcare, the Glen Hall Committee and the local Country Fire Authority (CFA) to complete Stage 1 of the site’s ongoing master plan.
Initial preparation involved drilling planting holes and assembling sturdy tree guards across the reserve site to shield young seedlings from local rabbit and hare populations.
With ground prep complete, students from Lindenow South Primary School joined community volunteers on-site to get the planting underway.
The cohort established hundreds of young plants, selecting fire-retardant indigenous species such as Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) and Hazel
Pomaderris (Pomaderris aspera) for their natural ability to absorb radiant heat and slow embers during severe weather events.
Facilitators from the East Gippsland Landcare Network provided technical guidance throughout the project, explaining how deliberate species selection balances landscape protection with local biodiversity outcomes.
Fire safety remained a central theme, with CFA members delivering an interactive fire hose demonstration for students and volunteers to demonstrate water pressure control and basic fire behaviour principles.
Work concluded with a community barbecue, providing a forum for local landholders, parents, and students to discuss broader land management and seasonal fire readiness strategies.
Organisers hailed the working days as a standout example of community-led landscape planning, pairing practical conservation work with regional emergency resilience.
