Landcare Plantations in the Myall Park area
Background:
Over the past 15 years many landholders and Landcare group members have established plantations on farms and roadsides in the Myall Park area. Information about these plantations was limited. With thanks to funding from the National Action Plan for salinity and water quality (NAP), MIA EnviroWise and the Lower Murrumbidgee Catchment Landcare Network (LMCLN) initiated a project in mid 2003 to survey these plantations.
Survey of plantations:
Details about why, what, and how the trees were planted were discussed with landholders, and then during August-September 2003 each plantation was visited and details of the area, species, spacings, survival, and location were recorded. All information was compiled and linked to the Murrumbidgee Irrigation GIS mapping program.
Major Findings
- 64 plantations surveyed
- Most plantations were less than 0.5 ha & the average size was 0.26 ha
- Landholders main planting objectives were salinity control (25%) & to create corridors (25%)
- Other objectives included windbreak (14%), high watertables (11%), & aesthetic reasons (14%)
- Most plantations were on farm (70%), while others were on roadsides (30%)
- Most plantations were funded privately by landholders (65%), while 30% were funded by the National Landcare Program
- Some 60% of plantations were single rows
- About 70% of plantations contained some local native species
- More than 40% of plantations contained shrubs
- Some 50% of plantations had high survival rates (>75%)
- Almost 50% of plantations were fenced, & the majority were not grazed (60%)
- Most landholders felt their plantations achieved the desired results
FACT: Good planning and site preparation achieved the best results
How we can use this information in the future:
To achieve maximum benefits from our natural resource management efforts, this information will assist in guiding the planning of future vegetation projects by:
- Providing a plantations map that can be overlayed with other maps of remnant vegetation, soil types and saline areas to assist in prioritising future revegetation projects, and
- Providing specific information on species used, establishment methods and survival rates to fine tune recommendations for future projects in the Myall Park area, resulting in greater success.
Thank you to everyone who took part in the survey.
For further information about this project contact: Biodiversity Officer, Murrumbidgee Irrigation, Karen McCann, phone (02) 6962 0200.
MIA EnviroWise program has been made possible thanks to funding from the
Australian and NSW Government's National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality.
