Funding Source: Victorian Government – Threatened Species Protection Initiative
Timeline: February 2016 to June 2017
Funding received: $20 000
Large old River Red Gum with a 3m+ diameter
Planting new paddock trees helps to replace those lost from old age or storm damage
Protecting this patch of 20 River Red Gums with fencing and planting of understorey species
Successful block of planted shrubs around a White Box and Ironbark
Recently planted new paddock trees
White Box and Red Box are particularly threatened in our catchment
Large White Box and Ironbark prior to fencing and revegetation
Beautiful large old Apple Box tree fenced from stock
Project description
This project is aimed at protecting scattered paddock trees and the establishment of new paddock trees in targeted locations. This project helps to connect quality patches of native vegetation in the Futter Ranges (stretching from Greta West to Glenrowan), to the Fifteen Mile Creek and King River corridors.
Outcomes
This project protected 54 scattered paddock trees in our landscape through 2965m of fencing to reduce impacts of stock grazing at 22 sites. Single trees and groups of trees were fenced and the sites were planted with indigenous shrubs suitable for attracting birds, this included a mix of Silver Wattle (Acacia dealbata), Gold-dust Wattle (A. acinacea), Hedge Wattle (A. paradoxa), Ovens Wattle (A. pravissima), Golden Wattle (A. pycnantha), Prickly Moses (A. ulicifolia), Red-stem Wattle (A. rubida), Varnish Wattle (A. vernicuflua), Sweet Bursaria (Bursaria spinosa), Wedge-leaf Hop-bush (Dodonaea viscosa ssp. cuneata) and Tree Violet (Melicytus denticulata) depending on the location of the site within the catchment. Additional funding was secured to enable our Group to purchase 1000 shrubs and guards for this project, which provided approximately 30 shrubs for smaller sites and a greater number for sites containing patches of trees. More than 100 pieces of fallen timber scattered in paddocks was moved into sites. 20 nest boxes were also installed at the sites (9 parrot boxes, 4 glider boxes and 7 bat boxes) to complement existing hollows and provide an opportunity for monitoring and conservation awareness by the landholder.
70 large wire tree guards were purchased and these have been installed at 14 properties in our catchment (5 guards per property). Indigenous trees were planted, which included the species River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), Yellow Box (E. melliodora), Red Box (E. polyanthemos), Blakely’s Red Gum (E. blakelyi), Red Stringybark (E. macrohyncha) and White box (E. albens) suitable for our catchment.
Landholder Agreements are in place for the long term management of all fenced scattered paddock tree sites and also for the removal and reuse of the large wire tree guards after 5 years to other points on the property.
Two very successful workshops were held focusing on:
- bird identification skills and a discussion of our threatened woodland community birds.
- implementation of a bird monitoring program at ten sites in our catchment, including further bird identification skills. These sites have now been monitored quarterly by our members to record seasonal change over the last 15 months and will continue to be monitored every three months over a four year period.