By the end of Spring 2021, Upper Snowy Landcare and an ever expanding list of financial backers, on-ground partners and local volunteers will have invested a huge amount of environmental, financial and social capital into the dieback region of the Monaro. We write this piece in a slightly quieter time and with the satisfaction that all the plants are receiving this amazing moisture. Here is a snapshot of what has happened to date. Between 2016 and 2020 we established 27 plots of locally selected native tree and shrubs (orange dots in left-hand map). Most plots received 1000 plants. We are madly monitoring these plots and will provide you all with a summary of the capacity of these plants to grow in this harsh landscape and which ones do best. Speaking of this harsh but special landscape, all our plantings are effectively infilling previously cleared or dieback-affected woodland and never go […]
Dieback Project
SPRING 2020 Upper Snowy Landcare Network made the most of the season from heaven and planted 4500 mixed local plants into moist soil for a change. USLN are not the only mob putting back some of this much needed biodiversity, since the tree dieback wipeout. Greening Australia is doing large scale planting with a big effort recently at Severn Park and their research on E. viminalis (Ribbon Gum) provenance plots will soon start to tell a story on these usually robust and massive trees. We have also seen the introduction of Keep it Cool, a new and younger tribe of planters on the Monaro scene. For USLN, now that this seasons plants have gone in it is time to start planning for Autumn 2021. USLN have a huge amount of planting work lined up including: Revegetate and trial new technology around planting and weeding at the Gegedzerick TSR woodland […]
Thanks to grunt and true grit shown by hard working contractors and volunteers This Autumn another 3000 native seedlings made it deep into the bare soil in response to tree dieback on the Monaro. This biodiversity boost brings the tally up to approx. 17,000 seedlings planted (over 17 sites) since 2016 and under committed grant agreements, another 11,000 seedlings to go in by 2022. All this effort, while it seems considerable, is just a drop in the ocean to the long term loss of habitat, shelter, food and nesting resources for wildlife, not to mention the denuding of our productive farmlands, from the mysterious dieback spanning 2000 sq km (size of ACT). Shane Trengove, Chair of the Upper Snowy Landcare Network (USLN) said, “we would like to thank the contractors and their crews; Stone Bros from Bombala, Greening Australia Bush Crew and Sam Dryden and his team and our long […]
Greening Australia, in partnership with Upper Snowy Landcare Network and funding from the NSW Environmental Trust and Officeworks, undertook two more Monaro revegetation by direct seeding trials this past fortnight. Harry and Enid Bentley, long-time Landcare supporters on a dieback-affected property on Rocky Plains Road near Berridale, became the proud owner of 2.5km of contour lines planted with mixed Eucalyptus and Acacia, by Greening Australia’s direct seeding machine. Ben Hanrahan, one of Greening Australia’s most experienced operators, demonstrated the finer points of the direct-seeding machine to the interested onlookers. This machine, custom built in South Australia, consists of a disc plough which opens up a furrow 5cm deep, followed by a blade that cuts 1cm deep into which Acacia seed drops. The smaller Eucalyptus seed is dropped behind and covered lightly in loose soil by a pair of tickler prongs, and finally, a presser wheel behind tamps the soil down. […]
Greening Australia, as part of its Monaro Tree Comeback Project, is once again offering people in the Monaro Tree Dieback affected region a helping hand to replant what has been lost. If you are living amongst the dead trees on the Monaro – in Cooma, Berridale and Dalgety please consider this great opportunity. This assistance is available to landholders who wish to plant or direct seed native local trees and shrubs in the Ribbon Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) dieback affected area. Contact: Nicki Taws 0408 210 736, [email protected] information:https://www.greeningaustralia.org.au/returning-life-to-australias-tree-graveyard/
In the last two weeks, under sunny blue skies, the Upper Snowy Landcare crew carefully spent the NSW Environmental Trust’s funds to purchase and plant thousands of seedlings to restore dieback-degraded landscapes on the Monaro. A number of fabulous volunteers joined in and the autumn weather was well-behaved. There was even some remaining moisture in the ground from the beautiful recent rains. As you can see from the picture, we were working in a woodland completely wiped-out by dieback that has spread to about the size of the ACT. We trust these local provenance trees and shrubs will grow well and make up for some of the loss. stran As for the standing dead trees, we have just released a brochure called Life after Death to explain that many, often unseen, species require tree hollows to live and breed. Only old trees have hollows and these take around 100 years […]
Upper Snowy Landcare Network has just completed a trial of Hiko (small) vs. Forestry (large) tubestock under their Dieback Project to plant back trees and shrubs. Under a $50,000 grant from the National Landcare Program, three different sites across the Monaro were planted with 1000 trees and shrubs each in 20:80 mix of Forestry and Hiko tubestock. They were monitored for survival and growth rate over the ensuing 6 months. Survival rate at 6 months was at a record high at 88.8%. This is most likely due to watering several times during the driest periods post-planting. At 6 months post-planting there were significant survival and growth advantages of using larger tubestock in one of the three sites (Fig. 1). These results are similar to those from another two sites planted previously by Upper Snowy Landcare Network. However, in that case, the survival advantage was only detectable in plants given Seasol […]
Last Saturday, a group of six Landcarers, aged 6 to 70, took themselves off to Gegedzerick Travelling Stock Reserve, the area surrounding the historic church atop the hill just north of Berridale. They had one question on their minds: how many of the dead ribbon gums lost to dieback contain hollows? Why did they want to know? Because hollows provide nests and shelter for birds, bats, marsupials, reptiles and frogs. This includes a third of the animal species found on the Monaro that are listed as vulnerable or endangered (Table). Vulnerable and endangered Monaro species that use hollow-bearing and/or dead trees as lifecycle habitat. (Data sourced from here and here). Common Name NSW Status Birds Eastern False Pipistrelle Vulnerable Gang-gang Cockatoo Vulnerable Glossy Black-Cockatoo Vulnerable Brown Treecreeper (eastern subspecies) Vulnerable Turquoise Parrot Vulnerable Barking Owl Vulnerable Powerful Owl Vulnerable Masked Owl Vulnerable White-bellied sea eagle Vulnerable Swift Parrot Endangered […]
UPPER SNOWY LANDCARE NETWORK Media Release – 2 Dec 2019 The Upper Snowy Landcare Network (USLN) would like to extend its most heartfelt wishes to everyone in the region. For USLN, the last half of this year has been extremely hectic (and of course rather scary with our weather going haywire) but also very rewarding. Here is a brief snapshot of some of our activities. Using our grant funds, we planted another 2 ha of native seedling biodiversity plots. One plot at the GLENELM property, Berridale and another at the COOMA GOLF CLUB. This brings the planting tally to 19 plots in direct response to the extraordinary and massive loss of Ribbon Gums in the dead centre of the Snowy Monaro. Planting at GLENELM was a snack thanks to the Perisher Blue crew who helped plant and construct tree guards as their yearly epic promise to a good cause. […]
Many landholders know all too well, the truth is – you can ‘plan’ all you like …. BUT… in the case of planting en masse, it is innocent rain drops that will flick plans into action. So while we wait to for a decent rain event to plant another three biodiversity plots in the dieback area this Autumn, we can update you on what we have done to date. Each of our existing 12 biodiversity plots are showing varying degrees of success (see graph below). We have set up smaller sub plots to monitor tree survival and growth rates without having to traipse across the whole area. Most of the species that we have planted (see pie chart) are doing well.. We have passed a clever drone across each plot to capture baseline images that we can look back on in years to come. Our free Native Tree & Shrub […]
Upper Snowy Landcare Network along with its many on-ground partners and collaborators such as Greening Australia, Monaro Native Tree Nursery, Cooma Correctional Centre and many others are brushing the soil from their gloves for 2017. This year saw five new 1 ha biodiversity plots planted down to a selection of local native trees and shrubs. Counting the six plots established in 2016 means there are 11 plots now in place to kick start the recovery of lost biodiversity. With more than 2000 sq kms affected by dieback on the Monaro, these biodiversity plots are a small but important gesture to restore lost habitat. As many landholders know, Monaro conditions are not friendly to new establishing trees and shrubs and USL have performed plant counts on the plots with mixed results. More than ever we have learned how critical it is to stick with a planting methodology based on good ground […]
Upper Snowy Landcare have moved into the new age by engaging a drone to help survey existing tree and shrub revegetation plots in the dieback region on the Monaro. Drone operator, Zachary Simpson, from ZRSPhotography (www.zrsphotography.com.au) has all the necessary tickets to operate his drones and obtains further approvals to lift his gear in the air around the Monaro region (including sites close to the airport south of Cooma). A ground crew walked the lines counting dead and alive trees and shrubs while Zachary flew his drone above in a grid pattern over the recently established plot just south of Cooma. The Upper Snowy Landcare, Chair Shane Trengove stated, “The clarity of the resulting drone images is amazing and we just may be able to do surveys from our computers using these images”. Upper Snowy Landcare have been working in partnerships with other groups like Greening Australia to try and […]
To add to the scenic views along the Monaro Hwy just north of Bunyan is a new army of green tree guards nurturing yet another native plant revegetation plot. The new plot, installed by Sue and Steven Wallace, of more than 200 native trees and shrubs runs along the Monaro Hwy between the Bunyan Gravel Pit and the Bunyan Glider Club. It links into an adjacent healthy stand of white chested Ribbon Gums (Eucalyptus viminalis) and Snow Gums (E. pauciflora). This particular tree association is listed by the NSW Government as an Ecological Endangered Community that tends to hug the tops of the slopes and ridges right through the otherwise barren Monaro plains. Unfortunately, the Ribbon Gums have succumbed to a massive tree dieback episode. Indeed, over 5,000sq km of the Monaro is now covered with dead Ribbon Gums. It seems there is no single smoking gun to explain why […]
The following papers were presented at this important forum. K2C Forum ProgramDieback Forum Introduction by Rainer RehwinkelDieback Implications for Koalas by Chris AllenBlakely’s Red Gum Dieback Mapping by BothaMonaro Dieback by Cris BrackAssisted Colonization by Sue McIntyreMcleods Creek NR Woodland Restoration by Suzanne PowerWoodland Management Principles by Jacqui StolMonaro Tree Comeback Project by Nicki TawsUpper Snowy Landcare Monaro Dieback project by Lauren Van DykeAction Plan to Address Dieback in K2C Region
Tree planting goes ahead after massive rain event on the Monaro Upper Snowy Landcare Committee (USLC) is overjoyed to embark on the tree planting phase of its large scale revegetation project amongst the dieback scarred hills between Cooma and Berridale this week. Robin Sevenoaks (Chair of USLC) was on site at Kelton Plain to celebrate the first day of planting, “Over the last few months, USLC have engaged willing landholders, carefully prepared each of the four plots and patiently waited for this godsend of recent soaking rain to sow trees and shrubs as part of our important Dieback Project.” The 5000 trees and shrubs being planted across the four dieback revegetation plots is accepted by USLC as a small but still very important reaction to an extremely large dieback episode. Species being re-established will mimic what has been lost whilst adding more diversity in a mix of 8 eucalyptus species, 4 acacia species along […]