ReLeaf March 2011

Trees For LifeAutumn 2011Number 118

TFL now a key NRM partner

New ‘TFL Works’ team established

Schools start Big Backyard project

SYP landholders ‘Undo the Damage’

2 Trees For Life Autumn 2011 Number 118

Contact usReLeaf is a production of Trees For Life. Editorial/Advertising: Tania Kearney (ph: 8406 0500 or [email protected]) Production/Graphic Design: Fusion Printing: Finsbury Green

Want to advertise? Advertising space is now available in ReLeaf. Phone 8406 0500 or email [email protected] for advertising rates.

Cover photo: Calostemma purpureum Pink Garland-lily, taken at Emu Flat Reserve in Clare by Pam O’Malley.

Trees For Life 5 May Tce

Brooklyn Park 5032 Ph: 8406 0500 Fax: 8406 0599

[email protected] www.treesforlife.org.au

Constitutional changes

Following lodgement of the constitutional changes

approved at an EGM in October, the Office of Business and Consumer Affairs (OCBA) advised the following amendment was mandatory to ensure the TFL constitution complies in all regards with the Associations Incorporation Act, 1985 (the Act).

13 Dissolution(a) The Association shall be

dissolved by a special resolution passed at an Extraordinary General Meeting convened for such purpose and where at least 21 days’ written notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given to all members of the association; and it is passed at a meeting referred to in this paragraph by a majority of not less than three quarters of such members of the association as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or by proxy at that meeting. Any funds then belonging to the Association shall, subject to Clause 12 and Clause 13b hereof, be disposed of in accordance with a resolution in that behalf passed at such meeting.

The Board duly approved the mandatory amendment at its December meeting and the revised constitution has been lodged for registration.

David Mitchell, Public Officer

Achieving our mission in a technological world

‘It was very practical. We were laying the foundations for something that would work’ – Founder, Lolo Houbein

Thirty years ago something exciting was happening in South Australia. The community decided that some practical

response was required to halt the degradation of the natural environment. Trees For Life (or rather Men of the Trees) was formed in September 1981 and a year later the first Friends of Parks group was established; two notable examples of community volunteers banding together to care for and rehabilitate our natural heritage. Greening Australia also introduced its own organisational model around the same time.

In the case of Trees For Life (the name change occurring only after considerable debate in 1983), the inspiration came from the visionary Richard St Barbe Baker. He kindled the flame in the hearts and minds of a group of extraordinary South Australians. Their commitment, energy and enthusiasm has seen a backyard dream blossom and grow into one of the largest volunteer organisations in the land. This year will see us celebrate our many achievements and those pioneering members - many of whom are still with us and continuing to contribute.

While we celebrate the past, we must also consider the future. Times have changed and the challenges have become

larger and more complex. In the early 1980s it was only the truly visionary that talked about climate change and human impact upon the environment. St Barbe Baker had long been predicting that if we didn’t restore the trees to the planet then it would surely die. Our mission was determined virtually from the outset and remains much the same today. What we need is to ensure that we have the means and the capability to achieve that mission.

Attitudes to volunteering have changed. So too has the range of activities on offer to the community, with different priorities and even values. Only in a crisis do the true blue Aussie values come to the fore. Recent floods and the fires of yesteryear provide outstanding examples of volunteers and the community banding together for a common cause. Surely the desperate plight of our natural environment is a sufficiently compelling cause? With the right leadership, constancy of vision and some different approaches, we can recapture the pioneering spirit of the 1980s.

We have a relatively young Board, outstanding staff, volunteers to die for and a clear purpose. But there is no room for complacency. It’s essential that we remain focused and prepared to find new ways of doing what we do. Technology moves rapidly, presenting challenges but also a myriad of opportunities. Thirty years ago electric typewriters were at a premium and mobiles hung from the ceiling; nowadays my grandchildren’s toys have greater computer capacity than the early mainframes. Let’s embrace this brave new world that we may continue to deliver the environmental solutions espoused by Richard St Barbe Baker and our founding members.

- David Mitchell

Thank you for your support

What outstanding people TFL members are!

Our 2010 Christmas Appeal attracted outstanding support from members keen to help us raise funds to buy a new Bush Action Team (BAT) bus to transport volunteers to Bush For Life sites.

We are now just over half way to meeting our target of $60,000.

Each year the Christmas Appeal raises around $10,000 but our call to help replace our trusty (but rusty) old bus struck a chord. Total donations have already reached $32,300 – and donations are still coming in.

In an inspiring act of generosity one wonderful member made an individual donation of $10,000 to kick off the appeal.

Thank you also to the members who sent tips on contacts who may be able to give us a good price on a new bus. We are following up all leads and hopefully, we’ll be able to replace the bus before the end of 2011.

- Carmel Dundon, CEO

President’s Message General News

3Trees For Life Autumn 2011 Number 118

Minister for Environment and Conservation Paul Caica, centre, with representatives of the nine State environmental groups, including TFL CEO Carmel Dundon.

TFL CEO Carmel Dundon signs the MoU.

The IRP project will help the recovery of threatened species such as Diamond Firetails. Photo: Dragos Moise.

Biodiversity the focus of new Callington-Palmer project

A new five year project will assist 30 landholders with

their vegetation management and habitat reconstruction projects in degraded grassy ecosystems of the eastern Mount Lofty Ranges.

Trees For Life (TFL) and the Nature Conservation Society of South Australia will support property owners and monitor changes in ecosystem health. Funded by the Native Vegetation Council, the project will also link to the University of Queensland Mount Lofty Ranges Woodland Bird Monitoring project by permanently adding the 30 new sites to the annual survey program.

Project Coordinator Alex Coombe said TFL wants to hear from landholders who are keen to take a hands-on role in restoring native vegetation on their own properties. The regions targeted are Rockleigh, Monarto, Callington and Bondleigh.

“The project will assist landholders in this area to improve biodiversity, particularly focusing on the regeneration and re-establishment of grassy ecosystems. There are a variety of threatened species that stand to benefit from work in this area, such as Diamond Firetails (pictured),” Alex said.

“Private landholders who want some help to restore an area of 20 hectares or more in the Rockleigh area are eligible for inclusion in the project. This includes current members and people who are willing to join TFL. We are looking for remnant vegetation (including grasslands), new areas to revegetate as well as previously revegetated areas that we can improve and build on.”

TFL will provide some of the training, advice needed, and help with some of the necessary equipment. Rockleigh landholders who are involved in the Tree Scheme are eligible to receive additional support as part of this project.

“We are hoping to hear from people who are interested in collecting and propagating local seed for revegetation as well as managing weeds that threaten remnant vegetation,” Alex said.

If you own property in between Callington and Palmer and are interested in finding out more about the pilot project, phone Alex during office hours on 8406 0500.

TFL signatory to landmark agreement

Trees For Life has signed a landmark ‘mutual’

agreement with the State’s eight Natural Resource Management Boards.

We are one of nine South Australian environment groups to have entered into the agreement, aimed at better protecting the environment. The other groups are Conservation Ark: Zoos SA, Conservation Council of SA, Conservation Volunteers Australia, Friends of Parks Inc., Greening Australia SA, Nature Conservation Society of SA, Nature Foundation SA Inc and The Wilderness Society.

The agreement recognises the important contributions made by government agencies and the not for profit and community environmental organisations and provides a practical framework to get even better results at state, regional and local levels and to create better working partnerships with clearer roles and responsibilities.

The agreement was developed over many months by a joint working party. The process, coordinated by the Conservation Council of SA was notable for the goodwill and common vision shared by all the parties involved. As a result South Australia now has a unique model in place for outstanding natural resource management.

At the signing ceremony, Minister for Environment

and Conservation Paul Caica praised the SA sector for its vision and noted the agreement is based on 11 key values that are focused on respect for the local environment and concern for its future.

“The agreement recognises the important role of NRM Boards and environmental groups and what can be achieved when they work together,” Mr Caica said.

“NRM Boards have statutory responsibilities to conserve, protect and manage their region’s natural resources and each Board has its own regional plan which identifies local priorities for investment and awareness programs to encourage people to conserve and sustain natural resources,” Mr Caica said.

“The environmental groups reflect community values, passions, expectations and aspirations and they implement on-ground, education and scientific projects.”

Mr Caica said the agreement recognised the groups as key NRM partners.


Gawler branch still dedicated to the causeTrees For Life has dedicated members scattered far and wide throughout South Australia, but did you know we also have official branches, whose volunteers do fantastic environmental work in their communities?This is the second part of our branch profiling, the first being TFL’s Willunga branch. This edition, we look at the history and ongoing efforts of Gawler-Elizabeth branch members.

By SYLVIA NIEUWENHUIZEN

Gawler-Elizabeth Branch Coordinator

In 1982 I asked the Trees For Life head office if there was a

group that met north of Adelaide I could join.

Andy Sutherland gave me a list of other members in the north and suggested I could contact them and start a group. I hadn’t done anything like that before but was eager to meet up with others with the same enthusiasm.

I subsequently contacted several people and in 1983, we held our first meeting at my house in Paralowie, with great success. We decided to call ourselves the Northern Regions Group as there were no other groups beyond Salisbury in the early 80s.

Over the years members have come and gone. Some have retired, moved further afield, left to follow other pursuits and unfortunately some have passed away.

After several years and the establishment of other groups and depots in the Barossa and Mid North, our title changed to become the Gawler-Elizabeth group.

What did not change was our enthusiasm to maintain a Tree Scheme depot.

Our first ever depot operated

from the Cookson’s property in Wards Belt and then moved to the Woodcock’s property on Potts Rd. From there it moved with the Woodcocks to Freeling, and in the last 13 years it has been at the Tesselaar’s property in Kalbeeba.

I have many photos of the box filling days at various properties and they have always been enjoyable, social events.

Along with the annual box filling and distribution days, our group became regulars at the Gawler Show. We started out with just a picnic table and a couple of chairs and progressed to our own green and yellow marquee. We had working bees, where items were made to sell on the stall plus, as always, a selection of native plants. The Gawler Show was an annual event and an income source for 15 years.

I took a step back from responsibilities in the 1990s and Christine Adley took the reins and kept the group going. Chris incorporated an annual bus trip into our calendar of events and we’ve since visited a water nursery in the south, the lights in Lobethal, Banrock Station, the Butterfly House and Monarto Zoo, just to name a few.

We’ve also held annual

planting events, with shelter belts and tree screens being established in Pinkerton Plains, Mallala, Owen, and Gawler River Districts.

As the members got busier (and older), our group became smaller and meetings have now gone from monthly to bi-monthly. I again took over the role of group coordinator five years ago and we maintain a busy schedule, with box filling and distribution days still our main priority.

Annually we also have a stall at the Rotary’s Village Fair in Gawler (November 6 this year) and this event provides us with income to cover our bi-yearly newsletter and a couple of social get-togethers. We also have a family bonfire night in June or July, depending on the weather. Plantings are not a big part of our annual events but members do concentrate on producing plants from cuttings to add to their established flora. A special interest of members currently is in eremophilas and grevilleas.

None of the above could have happened without the support of the dedicated members in the past, the present and hopefully, the future.

Box filling is a family affair with the Gawler-Elizabeth branch and anyone is welcome to join in. Box filling is also seen as a social event for the group, as group members catch up with one another and enjoy a barbecue after the hard work is completed.

And the lottery winners are ...

The annual Trees For Life lottery has been very

successful once again this year, with ticket sales of $92,000.

The winning ticket number for the $10,000 first prize is Simon Harding (17111). The second prize (a 22,000 litre tank from Team Poly) was won by Harry (36517) and the airconditioning was won by K Madden (24811). The winning ticket number for the ticket seller’s prize (A Working with Wildlife tour at Monarto Zoo and mixed dozen wine from Fox Creek Wines) is 31029.

Trees For Life would like to thank all members who sold or bought tickets for our main fundraiser. Your efforts are much appreciated.

All winners were notified by Trees For Life and results published in The Advertiser newspaper on February 11. The winning ticket numbers, starting from first prize, are: 17111, 36517, 24811, 07215, 21733, 07232, 14968, 20093, 15505, 05385, 50224, 06305, 18256, 22492, 52360, 41542, 45999, 56912, 42983, 54215, 08269, 27819, 45214, 47479, 43749, 21628, 39672, 17689, 29104, 07041, 47850, 18647, 43451, 07605, 23476, 04433,

Congratulations and thank you again to everyone for their outstanding support this year. A big thank you also goes to the following people and organisations for donating prizes: Seasonair, The Outback Loop, Adroit, Hilton, JA Grigson Trading, Pear Tree Hollow, Clare Valley Cabins, Port Power, Cape Cassini Wilderness Retreat, Cleland Wildlife Park, KI Sealink, Eco Pest Control, State Flora, Dominant, Foodland, Ultra Tune, Taking Care of Trees, Imprints, Better World Arts, Dulux Paints, Springford Business Machines, Total Tools, Birkenstock, Kitchen Door Restaurant, Worm Organics, and Greenhills Adventure Park.

Finally, we ask that any unsold tickets please be returned to Trees For Life.

General News


Growing a great future is the goal of the State Government’s SA Urban Forests Million Trees Program, which is dedicated to planting three million local native trees and associated understorey across metropolitan Adelaide by 2014.

TFL growers contributing to ‘forest’ milestone

This year, 2011, is the UNESCO International Year

of Forests: “Forests for People, dedicated to raising awareness and strengthening the sustainable forest management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations.”

It also represents the eighth year of planting into Greater Adelaide’s Urban Forest by the Million Trees Program.

The program aims to build on the two millionth milestone achieved in 2010 by establishing more than 200,000 local native plants this winter. Some of our Urban Forests include:

Para Woodlands community • planting is on June 18 in Kalbeeba, near Gawler. This former farm is being restored with species from the critically endangered peppermint box (Eucalyptus odorata) grassy woodland as a labour of love. Some land was donated to Nature Foundation SA (NFSA)in memory of David Law-Smith by his widow Elizabeth. It is now managed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) & NFSA.Craigburn Farm. • Restoration of this former

grazing land will eventually connect and buffer Sturt Gorge Recreation Park – which contains some of the largest and intact remnant communities of the endangered Grey Box (E. microcarpa) woodland in the Adelaide Region.Gawler Buffer. 8000 • tubestock will be planted at the end of June to help recreate a Mallee Box (E. porosa) woodland for future recreational use.

More than 25,000 local native seedlings grown by Trees For Life volunteers in 2011 will be used at various locations across seven project sites, including Maslin Beach, Craigburn Farm, Onkaparinga National Park, Port Willunga, Gawler Buffer, Edinburgh Biodiversity Corridor, and Craigburn Seed Production Area. We now need your help to get them in the ground.

The Million Trees Program wishes to thank TFL volunteers who are growing seedlings and invites anyone wishing to help with planting to contact the Urban Biodiversity Unit on 8278 0600 for upcoming event dates and locations.

If you would like to join the Friends of the Urban Forest or to find out more information about the Million Trees Program, please visit www.milliontrees.com.au or contact [email protected].

TFL’s new team brings together years of experience

While Trees For Life is best known for the

achievements of its volunteers, we have recently established a new team called ‘TFL Works’.

The TFL Works team operates as a commercial contractor (using only a paid workforce), drawing together 30 years of staff experience in managing and implementing revegetation and bushcare projects.

The services offered include:Minimal disturbance • bush regenerationWoody weed control• Fuel control in sensitive • biodiversity areasRoadside Native • Vegetation Marker System on-ground worksRevegetation including:Site preparation• Planting• Watering • Maintenance• Bulk seed collection• It also incorporates

the services we already offer including:

Direct seeding• Plant supply for major • revegetation projectsAn advantage for our clients

is that ‘TFL Works’ understands how important it is to protect and complement volunteer works on a site, as well as

working in harmony with volunteer bushcarers, volunteer seed collectors or even community planting events.

And for clients, you can rest assured that revenue from these projects is channelled straight back to fund our volunteer programs, driving your dollars further by training and supporting volunteers.

Work undertaken by the team suits local councils, land management authorities, Natural Resource Management organisations, corporate and private landholders.

Community groups who obtain funding for contractors to undertake on-ground works can also get a quote from TFL Works.

For more information about our range of services and rates, phone TFL Works Coordinator Samuel Rudolph on 8406 0500 or email [email protected]

The TFL Works unit, from left, Paul Riggs Barker, Priya Spencer and Coordinator Samuel Rudolph.

General News


Onkaparinga’s environmental values a cut aboveBy MARK ELLIS

Bush For Life Manager

The Bush For Life program depends upon good

relationships with local governments, as the majority of sites our volunteers work on are owned by councils.

The City of Onkaparinga, in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, is one of our most supportive partners. With 35 BFL sites, it has the highest number of any SA council and supports the BFL program in a number of ways.

Not only is the council an active financial partner in the program, supplementing funding from the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board (AMLRNRM), the Native Vegetation Council and other sources, but has developed a genuine partnership approach to working with community bushcare initiatives such as BFL.

BFL volunteers are focused on improving the biodiversity of sites, while council reserves face many other competing objectives such as fuel management, amenity requirements and recreation use.

Top BFL sitesSome prime

examples include:Piggott Range Road Reserve, • a 30-hectare bushland reserve in Onkaparinga Hills. Our volunteers have been working on the site for more than 15 years. Norm, Rick and fellow bushcarers undertake a range of activities each year including brushcutting to encourage grassy understorey regeneration and tackling woody and herbaceous weed fronts. Being such a large reserve containing valuable biodiversity,

the City of Onkaparinga together with the AMLRNRM Board, has also undertaken extensive woody weed control over the past five years, enabling bushcarers to tackle some of the more time intensive problems.Mandilla Reserve in Flagstaff • Hill, where volunteers Geoff and Barbara have been working since 1996. The very degraded grey box woodland site they took on is now, after thousands of volunteer hours, a flourishing, diverse patch of native vegetation, virtually weed free with carpets of lilies, native grasses and understorey shrubs. This year the City of Onkaparinga is helping extend the site into more degraded areas by funding extra weed control and some supplementary planting in degraded areas.On Tingira Reserve at • O’Sullivan Beach, long-term bushcarers Rose, Geraldine, Diana and others work collaboratively with specialist biodiversity contractors funded by council, with the contractors undertaking some of the harder tasks such as revegetation of old shack sites and primary woody weed control.The City of Onkaparinga

has over the past four years formed a Biodiversity Unit - a specialised team of technical specialists and on-ground workers who focus on sensitive areas in reserves. The team has been increasing its work with indigenous plants, particularly on sites such as Christies Creek Biodiversity Reserve where members have been refining native grassland restoration techniques.

Indigenous landscapingOther ways the council is

improving the ecology of the area is by using opportunities to incorporate local native species in its landscaping, subdivisions and major projects. Over the past five years more than 400,000 indigenous plants have been grown for council projects and more recently, the Biodiversity Unit has started propagating coastal plants

for esplanade plantings in the council’s upgraded nursery.

The City of Onkaparinga is also committed to restoring native vegetation. In 2010 it produced a draft five-year Native Vegetation Action Plan that identified a range of initiatives needed to ensure its existing bushland is returned to health and opportunities to revegetate urban sites are acted upon.

In addition to the BFL sites on council land, there are also 16 private and corporate landholder BFL sites in the council district, ensuring the conservation work by our volunteers extends across the landscape regardless of tenure.

So thanks City of Onkaparinga for being an excellent partner, helping Trees For Life volunteers achieve great outcomes.

Stop Press

We are planning a Members Open Day on Geoff and Barbara’s site in Flagstaff Hill on Sunday, July 17. Come along and see their remarkable achievements spanning 15 years. For details, refer to the 30th Birthday celebrations supplement.

Geoff and Barbara in their early days on Mandilla Reserve, surrounded by Sparaxis and grassy weeds with the odd native shrub (inset) and as it is today.

The City of Onkaparinga is using indigenous plants in coastal landscaping (inset) and ex-shack sites at O’Sullivan Beach are being rehabilitated.

Bush For Life


Roadside changes have real impacts on bushcarers

A recent safety review of Bush For Life sites led to

some very difficult decisions. Some of our roadside

sites were deemed to be too dangerous for volunteers to be working unsupervised; in fact it was found to be illegal. Wherever volunteers work within six metres of a roadway they need to be supervised by a staff member who is accredited to undertake traffic management. We can do this in some situations, but we are limited by staff availability and signage.

Many of these roadside sites were established in the early days of Bush For Life when we were actively encouraged by state and local government agencies to take on roadside remnants. Of course the catch is that many of these roadsides are the last local examples of the indigenous vegetation, many with threatened species.

Christina Tassell is one of the volunteers affected by the changes. Christina was introduced to her site which contained threatened Silver Banksia woodland in Tea Tree Gully in 1997 and worked vigilantly for more than 13 years across a long, narrow stretch of roadside. Christina has seen many changes on the site over the years as a result of her careful, minimal disturbance work. “The most rewarding thing was to see the emergence of banksia seedlings recently. After many years the old banksias are finally setting seed again,” Christina said.

Understandably Christina was quite upset to learn that it was no longer possible to work on the site. However volunteer safety must come first. The good news is that Tea Tree Gully Council is now contracting skilled, biodiversity teams to work on its roadside

native vegetation, teams that can undertake all the legally required traffic control to ensure working on the site is safe. So Christina’s hard work over the years will be carried on.

Christina isn’t the only bushcarer affected by these changes. Other bushcarers have also had to make hard decisions of whether to adopt another safer site nearby or, like Christina, to come to our supervised Bush Action Teams and mini-BATs instead.

If you have any questions about the implications for working near roads please ring your Regional Coordinator.

Footnote: Christina was a recipient of a Thank You Tree Award in 2010.

Thelma and Brian, Jo Gapper Reserve will miss you

Many Trees For Life members would know

siblings Thelma Dinnison and Brian Wedding and be aware of the many hours they have volunteered to the Bush For Life program, as well as growing seedlings with the Tree Scheme.

After years of dedication and hard work at the Jo Gapper Reserve site in Hillbank, and with Thelma now moving to the southern suburbs, they have decided it’s time to pass the baton and enter ‘bushcarer retirement’.

Thelma signed up as a bushcarer on the Jo Gapper Reserve site in 2007 and was joined by her brother Brian a year later. During their time on the site, more than 80 large olives have been ‘drilled and filled’ and countless seedlings have been cut and swabbed. One exceptionally large olive nicknamed ‘grandmother’ has required successive treatments or ‘injections’ - a true test of Thelma and Brian’s persistence and commitment.

“We certainly have achieved

a fair bit on the site,” says Thelma, with Brian agreeing and adding that he has really enjoyed helping to eradicate the olives.

In fact, it was while working on an olive at Jo Gapper Reserve that Brian invented the ‘olive scraper’, a metal device useful for scraping the soil away from the base of lignotubers. This tool is now carried on the Bush Action Team (BAT) trailer and used regularly by volunteers and staff on BAT days.

Along with the significant olive work, other weeds such as the non-local sheoak Allocasuarina obesa and the feral wattle Acacia saligna have also been controlled on the site. With garden escapees such as gazania keeping them on their toes, Thelma and Brian’s bushcare work has also broadened to include keeping a vigilant look out for dumped garden refuse to prevent new weeds from establishing.

Thelma and Brian say they would still like contact with the site and will attend BATs and mini-BATs when they are held at the reserve, which is great news.

Trees For Life would like to thank Thelma and Brian for their enthusiasm and dedication to the bush.

Brian tackles a massive olive lignotuber using the drill and fill method .

Thelma uses the same treatment on a juvenile olive.

Hills council confirms funding

We are delighted to announce that the

Adelaide Hills Council has confirmed a three-year partnership and funding agreement with TFL to continue the Bush For Life program in the district.

There are currently 21 Bush For Life sites in the Adelaide Hills Council, involving more than 70 volunteers. Other contributors to the program in this region are the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board, the Native Vegetation Council and of course Trees For Life members and sponsors.

Christina Tassell.

Bush For Life


Backup seedlings a good safety net

Backup seedlings are available to help growers

complete their order when they have not been able to grow everything requested.

Backup seedlings are available for:

Volunteers growing 1. seedlings for landholdersLandholders whose 2. volunteer grower has had a complete failureLandholders having 3. problems growing their own seedlings, but not to fill the order because you did not get started. We do not have backup for grow-your-own only species.

To collect backup seedlings Where: Trees For

Life Nursery, corner of Sir Donald Bradman Drive and May Terrace, Brooklyn Park. See Map.

When: Friday, April 15, Saturday April 16 and Sunday April 17.

Time: Friday 10am-3pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 1pm each day.

The first few hours of the first day are always very busy with

a long queue of cars, so please consider coming later in the day or coming on the Friday or Saturday. This will give us more time with each person to work out the best options for you.

Also please bring along your Growing Order form as this will be a great help to us.

If you are growing for a revegetation project you do not need to get backup. You will receive a letter in February detailing when and where to deliver your seedlings.

Remember that there are 60 tubes in a box and the order is for 50 seedlings per box so you might have enough to fill the order, even if you have lost some. If you have most of your seedlings, don’t feel you have to make the trip to pick up those last few.

We can’t grow backup for all species for every zone (there are 1500 combinations of species and zone) so when you come in we may not be able to fill your order exactly, but we will do our best. We should be able to give you suitable substitutes if necessary. Usually we can’t supply more than one box of the same species.

Country growers – please contact us directly on 8406 0500 for backup seedlings.

Ordering season opens in May

A benefit of Trees For Life membership is that

landholders can order heavily subsidised native plants, grown from seed collected in their local area. This results in good biodiversity outcomes and promotes resilient habitat.

Financial members can order up to 500 seedlings to be grown for them by volunteers or 1000 to grow for themselves. A material and supply fee of $55 is due when you place your order and your membership must remain current until you have received your plants or materials.

The cost of supplying seedlings and materials is subsidised by Trees For Life members and volunteers and by SA Water.

The market price for tubestock is from $1.75 - $2.75 per plant. The member subsidy is provided to encourage and promote broad scale revegetation in South Australia.

Orders for 2012 seedlings open on May 1 and close on July 31, 2011.

Your newsletter address label indicates if you will be sent a form automatically. If the line above your name on the covering letter says “Order form coming for your zone” then you don’t have to do anything. You will be sent an order form in May.

If you want to order seedlings or materials to grow your own and your label does not have this message, phone us on 8406 0500 and ask for an order form to be sent.

Seedlings for sale at TFL

After backup requirements are met, any surplus

seedlings will be sold to financial members of TFL for $50 per box.

In addition to the surplus backup seedlings ($50 for box of 50 seedlings) we will offer for sale some nursery grown seedlings for three zones.

These will cost $2 per seedling ($100 per box).

These are: Zone AH (Adelaide

Hills) Bursaria spinosa, Xanthorrhoea quadrangulata and Xanthorrhoea semiplana.

Zone AS (Adelaide South) Bursaria spinosa, Callitris gracilis, Xanthorrhoea quadrangulata and Xanthorrhoea semiplana.

Zone YA (Yankalilla) Bursaria spinosa, Callitris gracilis, and Xanthorrhoea semiplana

Mixed boxes will also be available.

The sale will be held at the TFL Nursery on Thursday May 26, Friday May 27 and Saturday May 28 between 10am-1pm.

Please note that on Thursday 26 we will not be taking phone sales. Only those present will be able to buy seedlings.

In the past we have not sold all stock on the three days, so it is well worth while phoning us after those dates if you miss them.

Nursery access (See map)Travelling East along Sir 1. Donald Bradman Drive turn left into May Terrace. The nursery entrance is immediately on the leftTravelling West along 2. SDBD turn right into May Terrace and then sharp left into the nursery. Watch out for merging trafficTravelling south along May 3. Terrace there is no entry.

Nursery exitGive way to vehicles 1. enteringAll traffic must turn left.2.

A sketch showing the entrance and exit to the Betty Westwood Nursery in Brooklyn Park.

Tree Scheme


No more ‘hill form’ or ‘swamp form’By BRUCE SMITH

Seedbank Manager

From 2011 Trees For Life will no longer be offering

Acacia retinodes (hill form), Acacia retinodes (swamp form) or Acacia retinodes var uncifolia under the same name.

All three of these varieties had the same common name of Wirilda, which has been a bit confusing. In fact since Acacia retinodes was first named 160 years ago there has been confusion as to whether it was one or more different species. By just looking at the seed we felt that differences were significant – the largest of the swamp form seed was always smaller than the smallest of the hill form seed.

In 2007 Martin O’Leary, the wattle specialist of the State Herbarium published a review of the species, and we will now conform to his terminology.

The full review of the species can be read in the Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens 21 (2007) 95-109.

The species do have different environmental requirements, as shown on our Species Selection Guides, so success will be improved by ensuring you pick the best replacement for Wirilda.

The changes are:Acacia retinodes• (hill form)/Wirilda changes to Acacia retinodes/Hills wirilda;Acacia retinodes• (swamp form)/Wirilda changes to Acacia provincialis/Swamp wattleAcacia retinodes• var uncifolia/Wirilda changes to Acacia uncifolia/Coastal wirilda

Flinders Park students get stuck into the task of filling tubes.

West Beach Community Bank Branch Manager Peter Hodgkison and TFL’s Volunteer Grower Coordinator Martina Thompson, with Flinders Park students.

Flinders Park Primary School students and teachers with their propagated seedlings.

Tree Scheme

Big Backyard Project gets underwayBy MARTINA THOMPSON

Volunteer Grower Coordinator

Strong student interest in improving their local

environment is one of the reasons why Plympton’s William Light R12 School and Flinders Park Primary School were chosen to participate in our ‘Schools Big Backyard’ program this year.

Trees For Life developed the program to support teachers’ environmental work and to give students a strong understanding of the role and value of native plants in their local community. This enjoyable and rewarding hands-on experience in schools complements our Kids Branch program activities.

The program got underway in the first weeks of school with students learning how to set up their propagation area, fill tubes and prepare and sow seed suitable for late summer germination.

Four follow up visits over the next six months will ensure students are confidently looking after their plants, learning how to thin and grade them and finally how to plant and care for them to maturity. Each student will keep a diary of what they observe and learn.

A small mixed class of 12 students (ranging from Years 3-7) are participating at Flinders Park Primary School while 26 students in Years 6 and 7 from the William Light R12 School are taking part.

300 seedlingsBoth schools will propagate

around 300 native seedlings and then look after them until August, when they will be planted out in the school grounds.

Being part of Trees For Life’s Schools Big Backyard program continues Flinders Park’s environmental focus. In

2010 the students were taught to identify native trees by a member of the local indigenous community, solar panels have been installed at their school and energy use is monitored closely. Other environmental initiatives include a gardening group for parents, rainwater tanks which have been plumbed into the school gym, recycling bins for white paper, bottles and cans and food scrap buckets for each classroom.

At William Light, the school has already started planting its own native shrubs in various locations and another area has been earmarked for future indigenous landscaping.

Teachers at both schools are excited to be part of

TFL’s Schools Big Backyard program as it supports their own environmental initiatives. Students are excited because they get hands-on experience and results they can see and be proud of. We are excited because we get to share our passion for the environment and we know that we are planting the seeds for a lifelong interest in native plants. Bendigo Bank’s West Beach and Districts Community Bank Branch and the Minter Ellison Foundation are excited because they know their financial assistance is creating opportunities for local children that would not be possible without their support.


Our ‘thinkers in residence’ tackle steep terrain

The saying ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ fits

well with the thinking behind the development of a new direct seeding process which has seen substantial reductions in time and energy required on-site.

In fact, this process modification is estimated to save about 30 hours per hectare.

Trees For Life’s Direct Seeding program generally uses the standard 4WD towed disc seeding machine, a tractor mounted V-blade scalping seeder, or hand direct seeding for less accessible terrain.

All are successful but according to manager David Hein, hand direct seeding is very labour intensive and expensive.

A re-think of the hand direct seeding process was prompted by a job TFL undertook on a property at Nangkita, east of Mount Compass, in 2009. TFL was approached by landholder Robert Crouch, who had previously put some of his land under Heritage Agreement and wanted to revegetate a further 10 hectares of open space.

Slopes too steep“After Dennis and I inspected

the site, it worked out that six of the 10 hectares could be revegetated by direct seeding using our standard seeding machine but four hectares were very steep and would have to be hand seeded,” David said.

“The normal hand direct seeding process is:

Spray one metre diameter 1. spots out using backpack sprayers (approximately 1500 spots per hectare)Wait for a secondary 2. germination of grass and weeds and then spray againUsing a fire rake, scrape 3. off the dead grass and weeds in a small area in the centre of the spots to get back to the soil

(known as ‘furrowing’); rough the small area up, put a pinch of mixed seed into the soil and press in.

“This process takes around 40 person hours per hectare to spray and seed and is quite exhaustive. People are working on steep slopes with 15 kilograms of spray mixture on their backs when the knapsack is full, and the furrowing of the soil is quite laborious as well.”

David and DS officer Dennis Hayles decided to utilise TFL’s quad bike in an attempt to make the process more efficient.

“The bike is set up for strip spraying and we needed to develop a machine for the furrowing and roughing up of the soil,” he said.

Quad modified“Using a hydraulic ram

and battery power pack, we modified an old quad bike towed disc machine so that it could be quickly raised and lowered, creating a discontinuous furrow in the soil.

“This was important to prevent erosion from water running down the furrows and washing away the soil and seed on steeper slopes.”

David said the machine worked well and volunteers helped by sowing the seed into the furrows at two-metre intervals and firming the soil with their boot.

Lengths of PVC pipe were ergonomically designed with a handle and pointed end to allow the seed to be placed accurately into the required depth of soil without the need for bending. Large and small seed was held in two containers in kidney pouches for easy access.

DS volunteers reported that although still being required to walk up and down the steep slopes, the process was very efficient and far less demanding than old methods.

David said by using the new system of spraying with the quad bike and then hand seeding, the time taken to seed and spray one hectare has been reduced by approximately 30 hours.

“This also makes the process much more cost

effective,” David said.As well as the time and cost

savings, the hand seeding results on this property have been outstanding. So overall, you would say this project has been extremely worthwhile.

And while good progress has been made, according to David the process still needs to go one step further - developing a machine that is towed behind the quad bike which does the

spraying and seeding all in one.The direct seeding team is

hoping to develop this new ‘invention’ in time for the 2011 revegetation season.

Hand direct seeding on steep slopes, with good results shown inset.

A group seed collecting effort at Mt Effie in preparation for the Crouch property’s revegetation.

The quad bike is used for furrowing and spraying. Inset, emerging seedlings.

Direct Seeding


Southern Yorke landholders band together for environmentBy DENNIS HAYLES

Operations Manager, Carbon

Trees For Life will undertake a substantial revegetation

project on Southern Yorke Peninsula. A group of landholders are participating for the first time in the Carbon Program’s direct seeding revegetation option.

The project will be funded by individuals and businesses wishing to help ‘Undo the Damage’ through their donations to TFL for carbon reduction.

It all started with a call from ex-SYP boy Trevor Pengilly (now living near Willunga), who still owns a block of land abutting Levens Beach Conservation Park near Point Souttar. His 175 hectare block has 40 hectares cleared, with the rest being remnant scrub. The cleared land had been used for cropping and grazing, but when the bore went salty, Trevor decided that the best option was to place a Heritage Agreement on the native remnant bush, revegetate the rest and see it all protected.

This was a great opportunity for TFL to work with an SYP landholder but due to the tyranny of distance, we needed more than one property for it to be feasible.

Fortunately the Northern and Yorke NRM had funded TFL to run a seed collection workshop, presented by Seedbank Manager Bruce Smith and Harry Chambis at Stenhouse Bay. Attending the day was Deborah Furbank, recently appointed Community Liaison Officer with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on SYP. Deb is a keen supporter of revegetation for biodiversity and liaising with property owners in improving land management. She networked

the local community and compiled a list of landholders interested in hosting revegetation on their properties. Sites were visited in late July to determine suitability.

Five properties totalling 80 hectares of direct seeding revegetation are now being considered, with 45 hectares already contracted. The landholders will receive the revegetation to enhance their properties and in return agree to protect the new bush through its growing phases for the term of their agreement with TFL.

Most of the properties lie just inside the coastal dune systems running along the north and west coast of ‘the foot’ of Yorke Peninsula. On one property however, we are looking at rehabilitating a low-lying swampy basin comprising predominantly Melaleuca halmaturorum (Swamp paper bark) in the Para Wurlie Basin, an important catchment area supplying some lower SYP towns with their water supply.

In the past couple of months, time has also been spent determining appropriate species associations and locating good seed collecting areas to maintain local provenance. Two three-day seed collection trips involving six staff and seven volunteers have already been undertaken, with a large quantity of seed collected.

The adjacent table gives the species to be used and approximate quantities required to carry out 80 hectares of direct seeding. The 700km round trip from Murray Bridge to SYP reflects what a big task seed collecting is.

Further seed collection trips are scheduled in the first half of 2011. After the break of the season and germination of weeds, strip spraying for early control will be undertaken using 4wd ute and quad bike boom spraying units. This will be followed six to eight weeks later with the direct seeding and shielded spraying for weed control later in the season.

Species-seed requirementsSpecies Common Name Quantity(g)Acacia cupularis coastal umbrella bush 3800Acacia leiophylla coast golden wattle 15000A. longifolia sophorae coastal wattle 4500A. nematophylla a wattle 14500Alloc. verticillata drooping sheoak 4500Bursaria spinosa sweet bursaria 2000Callitris canescens scrubby cypress pine 6500Euc. brachycalyx gilja 1000Euc. diversifolia coastal white mallee 11250Euc. gracilis yorrell 1350Euc. oleosa red mallee 1600Euc. porosa mallee box 2700Euc. socialis summer red mallee 1000Mel. halmaturorum swamp paper bark 11375Mel. lanceolata dryland tea tree 15000Templetonia retusa cockies tongue 4500 Total 100575 g.

Inspecting one of the Southern Yorke Peninsula properties during a site visit.

Volunteer Norm Lee and Direct Seeding Manager David Hein collecting seed.

Landholder Justin Taheny inspects his Swamp paper bark forest with DENR Community Liaison Officer Deborah Furbank.

Trees For Life Carbon


Thank You Tree Awards were presented to 36 of our special volunteers at the Christmas party, recognising their dedication and hard work throughout the year.

Landholder Cherry Macklin and her volunteer grower, John Lewis.

John Aitchison with Vaike Aldridge.

Christmas cheer for all

More than 150 people attended our 2010

members Christmas party.The event enables us to thank

all of our wonderful volunteers and supporters for their tireless efforts throughout the year.

It also features our Thank You Tree awards presentation, with 36 people being recipients for 2010 – from bushcarers and volunteer growers, to landholders, depot managers and others who publicly promote TFL and help the environment throughout the State.

They are: Sue Preece, Diana Butcher, Pam Holding, Brian Wedding, Joyce West, Skye MacLachlan, Arthur Musolino, Nick and Marcene Tesselaar, John Lewis, Fiona Flavel, Maria and Dean Foot, Jan Franklin, Therese Kerkhof, Margaret Bennett, Michael Van Der Jeugd, Paul Schmerl, Denis and Janyce Frahn, Doug and Shirley Storton, Tina and Alan Moore, Dominic Richardson, Peter and Pauline Brooks, Elizabeth Hutchins, Ric Williams, Kevin Burrows, Pauline Adams, Vaike Aldridge, Kathryn Batten, Christina Tassell, Jon Goossens, Jenny Warner, Jo

Native plants book reprinted

The popular Native Plants of Adelaide book is now back

in print and we have new stock available.

The cost is $24.95 plus postage. Phone 8406 0500 to order your copy.

Hards, Julie Howe, David and Karen Jones, Len Phillips, David Harvey and Alan Norton.

Thank you to our members who nominated these special people for their awards.

A big thank you also goes to the West Torrens City Council for the loan of equipment such as marquees and tables and chairs, and the City of Mitcham for its kind donation towards expenses.

BAT Christmas picnicAs well as the members

party, a great time was also had at the annual picnic for our Bush Action Team volunteers. The picnic was held at the beautiful Karinya Reserve.

Thank you to all who attended and brought along goodies to share.

For Members


Bush Action Team volunteers and bushcarers, Thelma Dinnison, Reg Clarke and Ann Garnaut at the BAT picnic.

Alan Dandie, Emma Bartram, Natalie Fogg and Priya Spencer at the annual Bush Action Team picnic at Karinya Reserve.

A sad farewell to a great plantsman

Early in January the conservation community

lost one of its best and brightest when Jamie Mugridge of Indigeflora Nursery passed away unexpectedly.

Jamie was well known and respected by many Trees For Life members as the grower of hundreds of thousands of indigenous plants for many of the major revegetation projects in the southern Adelaide area.

Jamie’s plant knowledge and commitment to conservation was legendary, as well as his ready smile and enthusiasm for sharing his knowledge.

Our thoughts are with Jamie’s young family, staff at Indigeflora and his many friends.

2011 Bush For Life workshops (B1)

Bush regeneration means looking after the bushland we have left, using minimal disturbance strategies and techniques to

help it repair itself. It can be extremely rewarding lending the bush a helping hand and seeing the native vegetation spring back. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer on one of our Bush For Life sites or would like to learn more about managing your own bushland then come along to an Introductory Bush For Life workshop. Phone 8406 0500 to register for workshops.

Thurs April 7 Brooklyn ParkSat April 16 Hallett CoveSat May 7 StirlingTues May 17 Tea Tree GullySat May 28 AdelaideSat June 25 CallingtonSat July 2 Norton SummitThurs July 14 TanundaSat August 6 Morphett ValeSat August 13 Mt BarkerTues August 30 Brooklyn ParkTues September 6 StirlingSat September 10 ClareSat September 17 Playford-ElizabethSat October 8 Brooklyn ParkTues October 25 Goolwa

2011 Advanced BFL workshopsBrushcutter Use + Maintenance Jul 7-8 Brooklyn Park & FieldBroadleaf Weed Control in Grassy Ecosystems Jul 19 Brooklyn ParkBasic Plant Identification Sep 3 StirlingBasic Plant Identification Oct 27 StirlingGrass ID + Management Nov 10 Brooklyn ParkGrass ID + Management Nov 12 Stirling

2011 seed collecting workshops (SC1)Mon March 7 Stirling (Woorabinda)Sat April 2 Normanville (NRC)

2011 group seed collecting days (SD1)Tues Mar 15 meet Mt BarkerMon April 11 meet Parawa for Waitpinga

Help needed in Hawker region

Help is needed to establish a wildlife corridor in and

around the Hawker township.The revegetation project

has received a $20,000 grant from the Northern & Yorke Natural Resource Management Board for the project, as well as $5000 from the Flinders Ranges Council. TFL is providing materials to grow 1500 indigenous plants.

Those interested in working on this and other projects in the region are invited to join a Friends of Hawker group. In exchange for plenty of hard work, ‘friends’ will receive free accommodation and food.

If you’re interested, send your contact details to PO Box 835, North Adelaide, 5006.

For Members

Trees For Life Autumn 2011 Number 118

DisclaimerTrees For Life takes no re-sponsibility for the services or products featured in its quarterly magazine, ReLeaf.

Perpetual Sponsor

14

Bunnings helps our nursery

A big thank you goes to Bunnings at Woodville for

its donation of goods for our Betty Westwood Nursery.

The donated items included floral and standard secateurs, a wheelbarrow, propagation sand, seed raising mixture, garden hoses and connectors.

Every little bit helps and we certainly appreciate Bunnings Woodville’s generosity.

Ultra Tune sponsorship spans 19 years

The team at Ultra Tune would like to congratulate

and commend the Trees For Life team for 30 amazing years.

Ultra Tune has been a sponsor of Trees For Life since 1992.

Back then Climate Change and Global Warming weren’t even on the radar. But they must have had some foresight because they sure are now.

Ultra Tune began by funding a tree for every vehicle it tuned and today they continue to fund tree planting for every vehicle they service too. Ultra Tune has also contributed funding to the Trees For Life direct seeder, which has proven to be extremely effective for large-scale revegetation.

Ultra Tune’s involvement with Trees For Life helps improve the visual environment of South Australia and also contributes to absorbing the carbon dioxide that is emitted by customers’ motor vehicles. They are proud to be in tune with such a great organisation.

Bendigo gives schools grant

A big thank you to the West Beach & Districts

Community Bank branch which has donated money for our 2011 Schools Big Backyard Project.

The grant has helped fund environmental education in two western schools – Flinders Park Primary and William Light R12.

Thank you also to The Minter Ellison Foundation, which has helped fund the project.

TFL’s Business Development Manager Karen Tamm presents West Beach Community Branch Chairman Pater Bardadyn with a certificate of appreciation.

New banners

Award-winning printing house, digi.we.do has kindly

offered to print two large promotional banners for Trees For Life, for free.

The banners will help raise more awareness about the services TFL offers, at events throughout the year.

The Flinders Park-based printer supports TFL through in-kind sponsorship and we thank them for their generosity.

Video for TFL to be produced

TFL has been chosen to participate in the 2011

Community Voices Program.Under the program, we

will work with the Flinders University Department of Screen and Media to produce a video for promotional purposes.

The Community Voices Program, a national first, is a highly successful program helping community groups to improve their exposure and attract volunteers to their cause.

Member Offers, Sponsors and Supporters


Planting starts on Strepera in 2002.Family and friends help protect KI haven for cockatoos By COLIN WILSON

About 15 years ago my wife Beverley and I were both

living in Darwin when we agreed to act as tour guides for a German friend and his parents on their trip to Kangaroo Island.

We loved it and a couple of years later we were back on KI looking for ‘about 10 acres of bush’ to call our own.

Neither of us quite knows how it happened but one day, a bit by accident, we bought 650ha of forest at Middle River in partnership with Bev’s sister Alison and brother-in-law Andrew. Most of it was protected by a Heritage Agreement.

We named the property ‘Strepera’ as it straddles the Middle River gorge downstream of the Dam and takes in the impressive Strepera Waterfall. Not only is it a haven for your run-of-the-mill wildlife (kangaroos, tammar wallabies, echidnas and possums), but it provides feeding and nesting for a significant flock of the nationally endangered glossy black cockatoo and has a thriving population of the vulnerable splendid bush pea.

All in the familyAlthough we were still

living in Darwin, we decided to begin restoring the bush on about 50ha of fairly steep cleared land. My sister Wendy in Adelaide had been growing plants through Trees For Life for some years and enthusiastically took on the challenge of being our grower.

We resolved that all seeds

were to be local provenance (ie. sourced from on or near the property) and would be planted where they would have naturally grown prior to land clearance.

I collected some seeds, Wendy germinated 600 of them and a gathering of friends and family from across Australia converged with us to our first planting festival on Strepera in May 2002. The Glossy Black-Cockatoo Rescue Fund donated tree guards and we got valuable advice from the Department of Environment and Heritage Bush Management Advisor, but we were basically learning by doing.

It didn’t take long to discover why native animals are locally referred to as vermin. They keep plants pruned within the confines of tree guards, and have learned to push over or bust open guards to get at struggling seedlings. They don’t seem to appreciate that our revegetation efforts are for their benefit.

Resilient sheoakOver time we have realised

that on Strepera the drooping sheoak Allocasuarina verticillata, the sole glossy black food plant, is most resistant to browse pressure and will eventually outgrow the tallest kangaroo. Most other species in our region require additional protection in the form of tall rigid wire guards until they grow up. The KI NRM Board revegetation subsidies have proved invaluable in enabling us to afford this additional protection.

Six years ago we moved permanently to KI and have just completed our 9th annual tree planting festival. During that time we have overcome drought, flood, hungry kangaroos, smothering capeweed and a plague of grasshoppers to plant more than 8000 seedlings of about 50

different species. In collecting seeds I have become attuned to the rhythms of natural seed production and Wendy has been getting more and more skilled at germinating difficult seeds.

Volunteer planters have come from as far away as Queensland, the Northern Territory and even New Zealand just to take part. Several other growers have assisted Wendy on occasion and dozens of locals, some of them complete strangers, have generously donated their time and labours to lend a hand.

An exciting moment came

recently when we watched as a pair of glossy black-cockatoos alighted and began feeding in some sheoaks planted during our first year.

South Australia is indeed fortunate to have such a visionary organisation as Trees For Life to make long-term dreams such as ours possible.

You can follow our continuing progress on our website at http://users.adam.com.au/aajess2/index.htm

Colin is also Monitoring and Evaluation •Officer for the KI NRM Board.

It was almost by accident that Colin Wilson and Bev Maxwell bought a 650ha property on Kangaroo Island 15 years ago. Since then revegetation and conservation efforts have been a joint effort involving family members and friends - and the animals are loving it! This is Colin’s story ...

Colin’s sister (and volunteer grower), Wendy Griffin, plants one of her ‘babies’.Some of the volunteer tree planters.

The same location in 2010.

Your Story ...


Maggie the m

agpie by HannahSecrets hidden in tree trunks

Did you know that by examining a horizontal cross

section of a tree trunk you can unlock many secrets about the tree’s history?

If you have ever seen a stump of a tree that has been cut down, you may remember there being a series of rings.

These are called ‘growth rings’ and with each passing year a tree gets fatter as a new growth ring is produced on the outer rim of the trunk.

Because a new ring is made every year, you can tell the age of the tree by counting the number of rings. For example, a six year old tree will show six growth rings.

As well as telling a tree’s age, growth rings can explain some environmental conditions during a year of tree growth. The

thickness of each ring can vary depending on growing conditions (eg. soil fertility, temperature and rainfall). In poor conditions, such as drought, rings are thin as little growth occurs, whereas rings are much thicker when the growing conditions are good.

Growth rings can also show evidence of past events. Some bushfireshavebeenrecordedin growth rings. If a tree survivesafire,itcanshowcharredfirescarsinitsrings.

Rings can also show past insect plagues, where insects have damaged the tree and left scarred growth rings. Some tree species can live for thousands of years, so they can hold information from a very long time ago.

Next time you see a beautiful old tree take a moment to imagine all the secrets it contains.

Colour me in!

This Rainbow Lorikeet is in desperate need of some

colour.So if you are under 13

years old, please enter our Trees For Life Colouring-in Competition. You might win some great prizes.

To enter simply download the competition sheet from our website (www.

treesforlife.org.au) or phone the office on 8406 0500 and we can post one to you.

Send in your fabulous entries to Kids Branch, 5 May Tce, Brooklyn Park 5032 by June 1, 2011.

Good luck, and don’t forget that it is a picture of a Rainbow Lorikeet, so use lots of bright colours!

(And don’t forget you can also draw your own picture and send it to us).

It’s the Year of the Forest

Hi Kids Branch readers. Happy New Year to you all.

As many of you will know, 2010 was the International Year of Biodiversity.

Well this year has been named the International Year of Forests by the United Nations.

In Australia, we have some of the most beautiful forest areas in the whole world. They are so diverse and hold special meaning for many of us. Some people work with creatures that live in the forests, others live in forests and some of us play in the forest (camping, hiking, exploring). Other people just love looking and being in a forest.

Australia’s forests are too beautiful and special to lose and this is the year we can all celebrate the wonder of them. If you’d like to know more, visit the website www.un.org/forests/

It’s great to have you all back again this year and don’t forget to send us some drawings, poems or letters. We’d love to hear from you.

- Bess.

Spiders, games and animals in Kids Corner

Hey kids, make sure your mum and dad highlight

April 3 on your calendars.Trees For Life is participating

in a special Open Day at Government House that day and we have so much planned – especially some fantastic things for you.

We will have a special ‘Kids Corner’ and to get there, you’ll be asked to follow a special path lined with colourful flags and groovy native animals.

Once inside the Kids Corner, you’ll be able to play with some fuzzy felt friends. Help the echidna, kookaburra and wombat find a place to live … there are no trees or bushes so these animals need your help to turn our blank boards into beautiful bushland.

Have some fun with beads. Make a bracelet to take home from a selection of beautiful beads.

Pin the leaf on the tree. Help make our sad, bare tree look better by creating your own leaf to pin on it and see it come alive. You’ll also be able to play some giant games - snakes & ladders, giant Lego, chess & draughts; see if you can beat your mum or dad!

If you want a bit of ‘time out’, we’ll have some great colouring in activities for you to do. AND you can do all this while sipping a delicious drink from the Spider Stall.

So for a fun day out, make sure you come along to the Government House Open Day. Last one there’s a rotten egg!

Documents

ReLeaf March 2011