ReLeaf summer 2009

Vale SA’s ‘man of the trees’

Indian Pacific prize in lottery

TFL vegetation protects KI produce

How your donations are helping us

Trees For LifeSummer 2009Number 113

2 Trees For Life Summer 2009 Number 113

President’s Message General News

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: It’s growing season for our 1000+ volunteers. Already underway are these gorgeous Ficinea nodosa formerly Isolepis nodosa (Knobby Club Rush). Photo by Tom Roschi, courtesy of SA Water.

Green ReLeaf

ReLeaf’s format is made possible through the

generous sponsorship of Fusion and Finsbury Green Printing.

ReLeaf is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper and printed with 100% vegetable-based inks, ensuring the ‘greenest’ possible publication. The sponsorship has also enabled major savings in printing costs and postage, enabling the product to be designed at no extra cost.

Office closure over Christmas

The Trees For Life office and Betty Westwood Nursery

in Brooklyn Park will be closed for the Christmas period from 12.30pm on Thursday, December 24, reopening Monday, January 4.

Management and staff of TFL wish all members and volunteers a safe and happy Christmas and New Year.

We look forward to your company in 2010.

Contributions greatly valuedBy CARMEL DUNDON, CEO

I would like to thank you for your personal contribution to

the work of Trees For Life as a member, volunteer or financial supporter or as a member of the Board or staff.

Together we have now grown over 29.4 million native trees and shrubs as tubestock and direct seeded 2847 kms of cleared land to rehabilitate country SA.

We currently have 4150 ha of remnant bushland under care to conserve biodiversity and increase the resilience of our native flora and fauna. Each contribution, whether it has been through time volunteered, funds donated or support given, actively and substantially contributes to this extraordinary effort.

I think we should all be proud of what we have achieved together as we remain focused on what more has to be done. I look forward to your continued interest and support and wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

Mixed messages an increasing source of frustration

As I was finalising this column I received the sad news that former President Andy Sutherland had passed away. Together with family, friends and several TFL staff and members I attended his funeral service at Mount Barker on November 2. On page 3 is the text of a eulogy I delivered on behalf of Andy’s Trees For Life family. His contribution and influence were immeasurable. DM.

*******

You should have seen the first version of this President’s Message. It was a real corker! But then it was politely pointed

out to me by the Editor that it might just manage to offend a whole range of stakeholders and be seen as the ravings of a Grumpy Old Man.

And so it was back to the keyboard for a judicious message suitably in keeping with the spirit of Christmas.

What was it that had raised the presidential blood pressure so? Pure frustration.

Mixed messages being received from policy makers and community leaders at a time when we need to stay focused. This applies nowhere so starkly in my view as the environment. I’m worried that just one wet winter will lessen the resolve to implement a range of effective water solutions. The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) debate in Canberra continue to confuse and anger me whilst the pollution clock continues to tick.

That’s why it’s such a delight to be associated with Trees For Life. It’s a haven of sanity in what is a crazy world.

Decades ago a consulting guru coined the acronym KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid. At TFL we endeavour to live by that rule. What we do and how we do it have essentially stayed the same over the past three decades. Sure we have added programs to the repertoire but they have been developed as adjuncts to our basic mission, which is to revegetate South Australia and protect its remnant vegetation.

By providing South Australians with practical opportunities to help undo the damage done to the environment by past generations we have developed one of the most effective volunteering organisations anywhere.

Many families have at some time been volunteer growers; landowners volunteer their land and time to plant our seedlings; bushcarers lovingly tend their sites. Behind these front-line troops there is a battery of other volunteers – seedbank helpers, ReLeaf envelopers, equipment refurbishers, carpenters, painters and decorators – the list goes on. Volunteers are the lifeblood of the organisation and we value each and every one.

On that happy note and on behalf of all at Trees For Life, I wish you the compliments of the season and best wishes for 2010. Your contributions are much appreciated and help keep the organisation strong. Take care over the holiday season and enjoy the company of friends and family. Oh, and don’t forget to water those seedlings!

- David Mitchell

Trees For Life 5 May Tce

Brooklyn Park 5032 Ph: 8406 0500 Fax: 8406 0599

[email protected] www.treesforlife.org.au

3Trees For Life Summer 2009 Number 113

Vale SA’s man of the treesANDY SUTHERLAND (1933–2009)

I never actually met Andy but when his daughter Lisa asked

if I would speak at his funeral service I willingly accepted. Although saddened by his loss, it is a privilege and an honour to be given the opportunity to celebrate his life.

Within the Trees For Life family and beyond, the name of Andy Sutherland is synonymous with success. Even though his reign as President ended in 1997, his legacy remains. For 16 years he was President and developed the magic formula that helped create one of the largest community environmental organisations in the world.

Our first President Burr Dodd, along with partner Lolo Houbein, conceived the idea of metropolitan volunteers growing native seedlings for country landholders. This followed a visit to Adelaide by the visionary Richard St Barbe Baker who was advocating that the community take responsibility for restoring the damaged planet. In September 1981 Men of the Trees (subsequently to become

Trees For Life) was born and Andy, one of the original members, became our second President. Burr Dodd readily concedes that to develop a good idea into practical reality requires someone with exceptional energy, focus and organising skills and so he persuaded Andy to take over the reins. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Trees For Life of today, whilst espousing the same values, is very different from that of the early 1980s. Then it was an organisation purely of volunteers with no paid staff, no accommodation and relying on support from the membership and wherever else it might be acquired. This was where the real value of Andy Sutherland came to the fore. He was not only the President, providing strategic leadership to the organisation, but a tireless and uncompromising worker on its behalf. Whether it was cutting deals with politicians, collecting materials from all sorts of unlikely sources, or developing internal administrative systems, Andy’s commitment was always to expanding Trees For Life and contributing to the restoration of the natural environment.

Not a man to treat fools lightly, there were some who found his strength of purpose hard to handle, but it was all in a good cause. A self-described

autocratic leader, Andy was constantly pushing for Trees For Life’s growth, often against considerable opposition. “The people who were doing half a million trees wanted to go on doing that,” he said in 2001. “I never thought we were doing enough and I always thought we could do it better and do it cheaper.”

Nowadays in addition to our other programs, we consistently grow in excess of one million seedlings per year but essentially with the same process, systems and materials. Yes, and we’re still the cheapest.

Trees For Life and the South Australian environment owe an immense debt of gratitude to Andy Sutherland. Over the past few decades TFL has become something of a South Australian icon. For over half of that time Andy was at the helm and put in place processes and relationships that remain today. In an age when there is a lot of talk about our damaged environment, he was one of that precious breed who actually did something about it.

On behalf of every member of the Trees For Life family, farewell Andy, your influence and your work will be long remembered.

- David Mitchell

Volunteer group plants 4000 trees By BUNTI PELLEN TFL Volunteer Planting Coordinator

The TFL Fleurieu Volunteer Tree Planting Group

continues to provide much needed assistance to landholders in planting trees ordered through the Tree Scheme.

This year the group attended 10 plantings from May to September, planting a total of 4172 trees.

The feedback from the landholders is always very positive and appreciative, and the volunteers continue to attend in high numbers.

Overall 133 volunteers contributed approximately 369.25 hours during the season.

There were fewer trees available to plant this year and several planting locations had clay and or rocky soil, increasing the length of time necessary to plant.

There were also quite a few new volunteers, which was excellent to see. They were keen to learn how to plant and picked up the skills required quickly.

Do you need help with planting next season?

The TFL’s Fleurieu Volunteer Tree Planting Group works on sites on the Fleurieu Peninsula, from the South Eastern Freeway to Cape Jervis and Callington to Yankalilla.

If your planting site is in this area then we may be able to help you.

Phone me from January on 8387 4652 or 0429 016 335 or email [email protected] (please don’t call after 7pm Sunday-Thursday).

It is essential to book early as in previous years the program has been extremely popular with landholders.

Trees For Life and the South Australian environment owe an immense debt of gratitude to Andy Sutherland, above, who was President of TFL for 16 years. Andy recently passed away, but will always be remembered for his commitment to the cause.


Creating Backyards for Wildlife

The Backyards for Wildlife program is progressing well with new members joining our mailing list through the website almost daily, and many people taking a lot of free fact sheets and information from our event displays.

It seems like native gardening is going through a bit of a resurgence in response to watering restrictions, and we are certainly continuing to promote the importance of local native plants to support our local wildlife, minimise water use and reduce the threat of garden plants escaping to become environmental weeds.

The local native plant database covering the Adelaide area is proving to be a very popular resource on the Backyards for Wildlife website, alongside the historical plant lists of pre-European Adelaide.

A number of display gardens featuring local native plants have also been created in partnership with State and Local Government; including Carter House at Seacliff, the Brighton Civic Centre at Holdfast Bay and Lochiel Park in Campbelltown. These real-life examples are definitely worth taking a look at.

On behalf of the Urban Biodiversity Unit, thank you and good luck with growing your seedlings. Visit, www.milliontrees.com.au, www.backyards4wildlife.com.au, or phone 8278 0600.

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.

Service to environment recognised

Congratulations to our President David Mitchell and

Chief Executive Officer Carmel Dundon, who have both recently been recognised for their contributions to Trees For Life and the South Australian environment generally.

CEO Carmel Dundon was named a finalist in the Australia and New Zealand Not-For-Profit Network Awards as CEO of the Year; one of three finalists in that category.

University inspiring a greener future

A new School of the Environment has been

established at Flinders University, bringing together world-class skills, experience and capability into a multi-disciplinary teaching and research facility.

The school will offer a diverse range of specialised environmental degrees, both undergraduate and postgraduate, to help those passionate about the environment to gain the skills and knowledge to support their commitment to it and to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Some of the degrees include Bachelor of Science in Biodiversity and Conservation, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, and Postgraduate courses such as Environmental Health (Risk Assessment), Geographical Information Systems and Management.

Log onto www.flinders.edu.au/environment

Year in review at AGM

There was a good turnout for Trees For Life’s AGM

in October, with attendees reviewing outcomes over the past financial year.

There was just one change to the Board, with Nathan Daniell replacing Michael Cain.

In his report, President David Mitchell said several challenges had been faced during the year, not the least of which was losing federal funding for the Bush For Life program.

The strength of the TFL brand, its membership base and staff were all put to the test during the year, he said, and “came up trumps”.

The organisation’s achievements were tabled at the AGM and included:• TreeScheme–total

seedlings grown 842,200• DirectSeeding–

548kms sown (219ha)• Seedbankseedprocessing

volunteer hours – 1250• BushForLife–4150ha

under BFL management; 330 BFL sites; 753 volunteers

• BushActionTeam– 4350 volunteer hours; 92 Bush Management Days

• CarbonNeutral– trees planted to offset 10,027 tonnes of CO2 over their lifetime

• 4172tubestockplanted by volunteers

The Not-For-Profit Network Awards program recognises people, projects, partnerships and organisations who exemplify best practice in the non-profit sectors of Australia and New Zealand.

Carmel was also included in the 2009 SA Women’s Honour Roll. The Honour Roll pays tribute to SA women who have provided a positive contribution to the community. She was one of 100 SA women chosen for inclusion in the Honour Roll and attended a reception at Government House in October.

You may also have seen our esteemed leader David Mitchell in the Advertiser recently, after being nominated for a South Australian of the Year Award. David was nominated for his 30-plus years service to the environment.

Approaching two million plants

The Million Trees Program has had another busy year in

2009, with 70 sites across the Adelaide metropolitan area being planted with approximately 250,000 local native seedlings. The program is now near the cumulative total of two million plants since it was established in 2003.

This winter’s plantings were very successful with around 16 targeted projects, 26 community projects and 26 Grow a Great School projects taking place.

A reflection of 2009 highlights include:• Afantasticthree-day

planting event involving schools, industry and the community at Para Woodland near Gawler;

• Abigcommunityturnoutfora planting event at Craigburn Farm, showing the strong level of support and interest in this site;

• AmassiveSchools National Tree Day event at Onkaparinga River National Park involving over 300 students from seven schools;

• SuccessfulNationalTreeDayevents at Tainmundilla in the Adelaide Park Lands and in the Semaphore Dunes; and

• Generallyincreasedvolunteersupport at all of our planting events this year, which is an encouraging sign of greater community interest and desire to get involved in conservation projects.


Walk Against Warming 2009

Australia’s largest community day of action on climate

change, Walk Against Warming, will this year be held in Adelaide on December 12.

The walk will take place on the International Day of Global Action on Climate Change – the midway point of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Taking part in the Walk Against Warming is an ideal way to demonstrate your concerns and send a strong message to our elected representatives.

Participants are asked to meet at 11am in Victoria Square, finishing in Rymill Park.

TFL to educate school students

Students from three Adelaide schools will

next year receive specialised environmental training, thanks to funding given to Trees For Life by the Coopers Brewery Foundation.

Under the project, TFL will work with one teacher and a single group of students at each of the schools, with initial education including seed identification and processing and the fundamentals of revegetation.

These revegetation workshops will be held in March, with students also being encouraged to investigate their local area for suitable sites and research local species.

The following month students will participate in propagation workshops, preparing enough tubes and seed for 300 seedlings (to be planted out in their local environment).

TFL will provide training and support for the students, suitable seed for autumn sowing and undertake site visits to help them manage their tubestock to maturity. During the site visits, students will also be taught weed control, seedling thinning and grading techniques.

In spring the students will undertake planting and then be responsible for caring for their seedlings throughout their first summer.

TFL CEO Carmel Dundon said TFL remains committed to providing opportunities for children and young people to take an active role in conservation and land management.

She said the Coopers Brewery Foundation support meant we can provide specific hands-on environmental experience for up to 100 children, teach them some important skills, and give them the opportunity to contribute to habitat development in their communities.

How would you spend your 30th birthday?

Trees For Life will be 30 in 2011.

Sounds a long way away doesn’t it – but it will be here before you know it.

We are really keen to hear how members would like to celebrate this collective milestone. Suggestions can be sent to [email protected]

Indian Pacific prize for annual lottery

Prizes worth more than $24,000 – including $10,000

cash – are again up for grabs in Trees For Life’s annual lottery.

The lottery is the organisation’s main fundraiser each year and last year helped raise more than $90,000 to support TFL’s on-going environmental programs.

We are hopeful this year’s lottery will be as successful, and thank all businesses and individuals involved in donating 36 of the prizes available.

Overall, there are 37 excellent prizes, including the first prize of $10,000 cash.

Second prize is a gold class trip for 2 on the Indian Pacific from Adelaide to Perth (value $3000), third prize a 13,500 litre water tank, donated by Team Poly, and worth $2300.

Other prizes include accommodation at the Cape Cassini Wilderness Retreat for up to six people on KI, a Sue Hanckel framed print, Working with Wildlife tour at Monarto Zoo, as well as gift vouchers for clothing, home cleaning products, native plants, wine, dining, art as well as a signed Port Power guernsey.

As an added incentive, those who sell lottery books this year will have a chance of winning a ‘Free Wheeling Earth Break’ thanks to Adelaide Hilton. The prize includes two nights accommodation in a deluxe room with chocolate and wine plus the use of two bicycles to see the sights of the city without creating any green-house gas emissions or having to worry about parking.

Tickets are just $2 and can be bought from most TFL members or the TFL office.

If you would like to sell some tickets, or want to purchase tickets, phone us on 8406 0500.

The lottery will be drawn on February 9, 2010.

The Indian Pacific winds its way through the majestic Flinders Ranges.


Tree Scheme ‘remarkable’By MAUREEN REDFERN Tree Scheme Manager

2008–2009 was another successful year for the Tree Scheme with 842,200 seedlings grown for revegetation throughout South Australia. This brings the total to date to 28,400,000 plants over the life of the Tree Scheme.

Orders for 2008-9 comprised 729,700 seedlings ordered by landholders, 60,000 for revegetation projects and 52,200 for backup. The Tree Scheme provides a unique service offering seedlings in 42 zones and 1500 combinations of species and provenance, a remarkable achievement made possible by TFL’s extensive seedbank and the volunteer grower system.

At TFL’s Westwood Nursery we raised approximately 37,800 seedlings for revegetation projects, and received and managed 77,000 volunteer grown seedlings. We are, as always, indebted to our dedicated nursery volunteers.

Mt Gambier depot turns 21

Congratulations and a big thank you to Mt Gambier

depot managers Max and Briony Schleuniger and all those involved in helping to run the depot as it’s turned 21 this year.

Max and Briony have been with Trees For Life since 1986 and have been fantastic volunteers over the years.

Even though Mt Gambier is a fair way from Adelaide, Trees For Life is still alive and well in that corner of the State and we thank all those who have volunteered, and continue to volunteer to help us out.

We thought you might like to see just what has been achieved in that time.

Up until 2009, 751 kits have been delivered to the Mt Gambier depot and 8718 boxes. The approximate number of trees raised as a result totals 523,080. A great effort by anyone’s standards!

Statewide depots

Overall there were 49 depots operating throughout the State. From Wudinna to Port Lincoln, Whyalla to Ceduna, depots were established at Council yards, schools and private homes, with most growers collecting their propagation materials on November 15.

Thank you to all of our hard working volunteers who helped organise the depots, helped with boxing up and on distribution day. We appreciate your efforts a great deal.

A whopping 900+ boxes of soil were filled thanks to volunteers and staff at a working bee at the Betty Westwood Nursery recently. The hard workers managed the task in just one morning.

Jennie joins us

Jennie Howe has been appointed Volunteer Grower

Coordinator, joining the Tree Scheme Team in a full time position. Her role includes training and support of growers to ensure the best possible results and individual success for each grower.

Jennie comes to us with a strong background in conservation, training and volunteer management having spent the last 5 years employed with Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA). Starting in the field as a Team Leader for youth development projects, Jennie has spent the last few years coordinating and delivering training programs in Conservation & Land Management.

Jennie’s other ventures include teaching English in South Korea, and working in Cambodia for an environmental education organisation.

Volunteer growers can phone her on 8406 0533.

Many hands made light work at the Happy Valley depot on November 6 for the boxing up day.

Welcome Sam

We also welcome new Nursery Assistant,

Sam Rudolph.Sam studied for a Bachelor

of Horticulture at the University of Melbourne, where he was mentored by Dr Greg Moore, one of Australia’s foremost experts in urban tree management and aboriculture.

He has since worked for Greenlink in Box Hill, Victoria, and on coming to SA, at the Green Room retail nursery on Brighton Road and more recently, as an arborist for the Onkaparinga Council.

While the environment is one of his main loves (apart from wife-of-two-years, Bianca, of course), Sam originally moved to SA to play league football for Glenelg. He didn’t play last year, deciding instead to trek through Africa, and because of injury, but we expect big things of him in season 2010 (no pressure though Sam!).

Sam works at the nursery Wed-Fri.


Tree Scheme

Trees help quality farm produce

If you were told Trees For Life’s seedlings were helping

to protect some of the State’s best farm produce, you could be forgiven for being a bit puzzled.

But that’s exactly what is happening on Kangaroo Island.

TFL members Graham and Kathy Barrett bought their 830-acre Kangaroo Island property ‘Katham Springs’ 30 years ago.

The Barretts joined TFL 20 years ago and immediately set about planting shelter belts for their stock “as we could see the benefits of shelter for them in the paddocks,” Kathy said.

To date 15,000 trees have been planted on the property.

Three years ago their son Jason bought Katham Springs’ 360-acre neighbouring property ‘Myambla’ and in the past two years planting has also been carried out on that property.

The Barretts’ properties are now fully certified Bio-dynamic mixed farms producing Demeter Bio-dynamic free range eggs, beef, lamb and grains.

“It has been a bit of a challenge for us as we cannot spray for weeds and the drought has decreased the survival rate of the seedlings to about 60 per cent. Pre-drought it was usual to have 80 per cent survival,” Kathy said.

She said the shelter belts offered great protection “for the chooks that roam freely” and are also guarded from predators by Maremma Guardian dogs who live in the paddocks with them.

The chook sheds are moved twice a week around the plantings.

“We also have been planting a buffer around our property to help protect our Demeter Bio-Dynamic certification against spray drift from neighbouring properties. We hope to continue planting 1000 trees per year for years to come.”

Kathy said in the early years they grew their own seedlings, but understandably their increasing work load put a stop to it.

“We really appreciate the effort that the volunteer growers put in and also the co-ordination by Trees For Life,” Kathy said.

“If any members of Trees For Life are visiting Kangaroo Island we would be happy to show them our plantings.”

Chickens are protected from predators by Maremma Guardian dogs.

Shelter belts help protect the Barretts chickens and stock, as well as providing a buffer against possible spraydrift from nearby properties.

Growers receive water permits

SA Water has again issued exemption permits to all

eligible TFL growers.The approval means our

dedicated volunteer growers will be able to water their seedlings at any time with a hand held hose fitted with a nozzle trigger.

Tree Scheme Manager Maureen Redfern said it was an excellent situation for our growers, and TFL was extremely grateful to SA Water.

Managing seedlings in a heat wave

How you manage your seedlings in a heat wave

depends entirely on how you have been managing them up until that time. Usually we don’t know we are in for a heatwave until we are in the middle of it.

If you have had your seedlings out in full sun for a week or more, keep them there as long as you can keep them well watered. A morning and evening watering is necessary, and an additional watering during the day would be good insurance (but make sure you don’t scorch

them with hot water from a hose lying in the sun). Strong seedlings will thrive with the heat and plenty of water.

You should check that the seedlings are receiving enough water by removing a few tubes from a box and checking that the soil at the drain holes is wet. If it is dry then you need to increase the duration or frequency of watering to keep the soil moist right to the bottom of the tubes.

If you have only just put your seedlings out into the sun, or can’t keep them well watered, you could cover them with shadecloth during the heat of the day – but make this only a temporary measure. Take it off as soon as you can to prevent your seedlings getting soft and lanky.

If you still have your seedlings under shadecloth, keep them there because putting them out suddenly in extreme heat will damage them. As soon as the heatwave passes, put them out in full sun to give them time to acclimatise before the next spell of hot weather.

It is the soil drying out, not the heat, which will damage or kill your seedlings.

(See Page 16 of the propagation book).

2010 seed collecting workshop (SC1)Thurs Jan 14 Stirling

2009–2010 group seed collecting days (SD1)Thurs Dec 17 MypongaThurs Jan 28 Mannum

If you are interested in attending either the workshop or seed collecting days, please phone the TFL office on 8406 0500. Please be advised car pooling for the seed collecting days will also be available. Registrations of interest can be made by phoning Seedbank Manager Bruce Smith.


Bush For Life

Big changes in Bush For LifeNo. hectares under BFL management – 4150No. of BFL sites – 330No. of BFL volunteers – 753

The last financial year has

been one of significant changes to the Bush For Life program.

We are confident these changes will put the program in better shape for the long term. A period of funding uncertainty, together with some long term staff members moving on, gave us the opportunity to look strategically at our resources and how we support volunteers.

Regional coordinators’ territories have been redefined to correspond to council boundaries and casual positions have been converted into defined part-time roles, enabling a closer connection to project partners and involvement in the program’s directions.

With increasing emphasis by funding bodies on projects that address regional biodiversity priorities, we undertook a strategic review of all 330 BFL sites. Eight criteria related to biological diversity, volunteer suitability, volunteer activity and other site issues have been used in discussions with project partners on which sites to prioritise, swap or discontinue. Communications with bushcarers have also been revamped with the publication of the bi-annual newsletter The Bushcarer focusing on technical issues.

Consolidating support for the program and its funding with local government partners has also been a major focus in the past year, with some councils committing substantial resources to the partnership, and others finding it more difficult, seeing it as the role of the NRM boards.

Olive eradicators praisedThis is a comment from a volunteer bushcarer on the Fee For Service works that the BFL team are doing on Piggott Range Rd Reserve.

On Friday I went scouting the area where TFL has been

doing contract work removing olives in the creek line and just north of it. The results are amazing! It was so thick with olives when I last looked about a year ago I never thought they’d be able to clear the area, but they have.

The creek line and half way up the northern hill slope is virtually clear of live olives. It is easy to see the boundary of where they have worked and there is still a lot to go, but gee they have done a good job.

Cheers, Rick

Milang property nature’s haven

The pictures featured adjacent were taken by Bush

Action Team members Randall Bates and Matt Endacott during an extended BAT on Margie and Andrew Black’s property ‘Muntiri’ at Milang.

It is the eighth year an extended BAT has been held on the 52 hectare Heritage agreement property, known locally as Yelland Scrub.

The property features 222 native plant species, 68 of these holding regional conservation status and three with state conservation ratings. There are more than 24 different species of native orchids, as well as Eucalyptus fasciculosa (Pink Gum) and Mallee eucalypt canopy, with Acacia paradoxa understorey and diverse ground covers.

Eleven volunteers and three staff attended the three-day BAT, tackling main weeds Ehrharta villosa var. maxima (Pyp Grass) and Ehrharta calycina (Perennial Veldt Grass). Bridal Creeper has been treated in previous years, with the Bridal Creeper Rust Fungus eventually released to great effect.

Bush For Life holds extended BATs up to three times a year, visiting Yorke Peninsula, Clare and Milang.

Survey responses help us to help you

At this time every year we ask Bush For Life

volunteers for feedback on the program.

This year we have made the questionnaire shorter and easier. It has two very important purposes; first to give us feedback on how to improve the program, and secondly for you to report how many hours you have spent on your bush regeneration activities.

While the bush doesn’t care about numbers on a page, our funding bodies do! The more our volunteers get out into the bush to do their thing, the easier it is to convince councils, Natural Resource Management Boards and grant bodies to fund the program, its network of coordinators, workshops and Bush Action Teams.

This year we ask you simply to transfer the total time spent on your site onto the questionnaire from your site progress form. If you haven’t kept records of each visit, please include an estimate. We don’t want any of the hard work of volunteers to go unnoticed.

Of course we also appreciate any constructive feedback on how we can make things easier and better for our volunteers.

All bushcarers should have received their questionnaire in the post by now. Send back your reply and you could win a $100 book voucher or $50 TFL merchandise voucher.

Microseris lanceolata (yam daisy).

Nectar from the Xanthorrhoea semiplana (yakka) flower provides a good food source.

Drosera macrantha ssp. planchonii (climbing sundew).

Diuris orientis (wallflower donkey-orchid).


Ting Wu has discovered a deep connection to the land since becoming involved with Bush For Life.

Ting’s bush connection far from TaipeiBy SAMANTHA BUXTON

Trees For Life has always been interested in the

background and motivation of our volunteers. Although people who volunteer for the Bush For Life (BFL) program often have very common interests, they all come from different and interesting backgrounds. Ting Wu is no exception.

Growing up in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, Ting wasn’t really exposed to environmental issues. It wasn’t until she finished her law degree and travelled to South America that she saw how connected people there were to their environment. This experience was further enhanced when she cycled from Beijing to Paris, 13,000km through Central Asia and Russia, which allowed her to see the environment in much closer detail. She has passed this new environmental awareness onto her parents who now walk or cycle to work and have started a garden on their roof.

Ting says her native Taiwan has a lot of environmental problems, related to its industrialisation and large population. Even though they have had periodic water shortages for the last five years, flooding rains have caused havoc due to poorly managed land.

After arriving in Australia, Ting’s environmental curiosity increased after reading a local library copy of ReLeaf. She attended a BFL workshop and discovered an affinity between her own philosophies and those of the BFL program. Ting now participates on Bush Action Teams (BATs), and attended the extended BAT in Milang this year, which she particularly enjoyed. BFL volunteering has allowed Ting to develop a connection to the land, a deeper sense of identity, meet like minded people and learn about Australian culture.

Ting is currently studying Conservation & Land Management at TAFE while also working part-time as a bushcare contractor. She will continue working part-time once she finishes studying so that she can continue to volunteer with the BFL program (and work on her veggie patch!).

TFL staff get up close and personal to a venomous snake during the workshop.

Venomous training given

Bushcarers are pretty passionate about all forms

of wildlife, but there are some that deserve healthy respect, and a bit of distance.

With the warm weather upon us snakes are particularly active both in the bush and nearer to habitation, so it’s timely to refresh our awareness.

Geoff Coombe, Director of Living With Wildlife, recently gave a training session to Bush For Life Regional Coordinators on Venomous Animals, to enable us to pass on information to their volunteers.

Avoiding confrontation with snakes is the first step. SA snakes are not aggressive and will only attack if they feel threatened or cannot escape. Treading on them or cornering them will certainly do this, so be aware of where you are treading. Snakes react to large threatening shapes, and movement in their close vicinity. If you happen upon a snake the best thing to do is keep still and avoid rapid movements. Stay calm and you can carefully back off while keeping an eye on it.

Remember snakes can secrete themselves in very small, confined spaces and will seek shelter. Always be aware of this while removing litter or working in undergrowth. Wear thick gloves and never reach into areas you cannot see.

Good footwear and long trousers are imperative for working in the bush. Australian

snakes have short fangs, Geoff says “its impossible for a Brown Snake (the most common inflictor of bites) to bite through good quality leather boots, and the chances of being able to bite through reasonable weight trousers is low”. Loose fitting trousers are best as the snake would mostly grab a mouthful of fabric!

If a bite does occur, remember, first aid MUST be started immediately. Never ignore a bite. Symptoms may appear some time later and by then it may be too late. Contact Ambulance emergency and follow their instructions.

Do not interfere with the bite and keep the patient as still as possible. Apply a pressure bandage evenly over the affected limb (not a tourniquet!) and immobilise the limb with a splint.

More detailed instructions for first aid for snake bite can be found on the TFL website, kindly supplied by Living With Wildlife.

For more information visit www.livingwithwildlife.com.au

Geoff Coombe with one of the venomous snakes.


We also receive funds through our Gift of Trees program and these trees (along with our annual Thank-you Trees) are planted out by schoolchildren at Monarto Zoo each year, providing educational and environmental benefits.

Bequests

Occasionally a member will provide for Trees For Life in their Will. An example is one of our foundation members Ms Betty Westwood, after whom our nursery is named. While not common, bequests offer the opportunity to undertake a significant project which we could otherwise not afford.

Benefactors

We have been lucky enough to enjoy the support of the CMV Foundation. Benefactors are few and far between but can have a significant and long-term impact on what can be achieved.

Sponsorship

We are really fortunate to have a very loyal and supportive group of corporate sponsors who support the organisation in general and specific projects. Some of our sponsors donate a percentage of their sales and these donations are invested in revegetation projects.

Many ways to help the environment

We often talk about our wonderful Trees For Life

volunteers and the extra-ordinary work they do to support the environment through on ground works such as bushcare, seed collection, plant propagation and planting. Other individuals support us by helping with clerical tasks, with building, painting, cleaning and mowing work and by promoting Trees For Life in the community at functions and events.

We’d like to acknowledge the enormous contribution made to the environment by our donors. Because, despite the huge support of volunteers, the cost of maintaining our programs continues to rise. Indeed training, equipping and supporting our volunteers is by no means an inexpensive exercise and also requires a skilled and flexible workforce.

So how do our donors help? About one third of our annual income comes to us through donations. Most of this support is from individuals and some comes through grants from private foundations and trusts.

Trees For Life donors represent a significant support base for the environment and are extremely important to us in helping to meet our shared revegetation and conservation goals. Here are some of the ways that our donors provide support.

Member support

28 per cent of our fundraising income comes from member subscriptions. Our members include individuals and families, large and small businesses, local governments, schools and clubs. We try to keep the cost of membership as low as we can because we know many of our members are also very committed volunteers and they give their time as well as their money to support the environment.

Your Donations

We also understand that many of our members are at or close to retiring age and they need to watch every penny.

Much of the money raised through membership is used to subsidise the cost of seedlings to landholders. Trees For Life was built on the belief that the community needs to help landholders revegetate their properties and share the responsibility for rehabilitating the landscape. Some landholders join TFL only for a short time so that they can enjoy the benefit of subsidised plants. We encourage them to retain their membership so that their contribution assists other landholders as well. For some people, joining TFL is the only way in which they are able to offer support. Every member is a contributor. Collectively the member subscriptions play a major role in assisting the environment. To try and increase our member numbers we are having a membership drive in December. See the cover letter for details.

Fundraising

50 per cent of our fundraising income comes from our fundraising campaigns. There are a number of ways in which people donate. A major annual project is the TFL lottery which is tremendously well supported by members and their friends. Two annual appeals, one at Christmas and one at the end of the financial year, are generally supported by our members. Our Visionary program is supported by individuals nationally who commit to regular donations or a significant one off donation.

Funds raised through these campaigns support conservation work on private land, provide support for schools and young people wanting to learn about practical ways to help the environment, training of our volunteers and work and safety equipment for field work.

In addition, five per cent of fundraising income comes from the sale of merchandise, cards, calendars and tubestock sold at public events and to members at the end of the season.

As well as cash sponsors we have a significant number of sponsors who donate goods and services to us. This means we are able to save the money we would have used for these items. Donations include lottery prizes, IT knowhow, design skills and legal services.

So we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our supporters. Whether you donate time, money or goods you are helping to create a better world. As Margaret Mead said:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.

WARNING

Recently some members of the public have called asking us not to phone them at home to ask for money. Please be assured that Trees For Life doesn’t solicit cash donations by phone, so if you or anyone you know receive a phone call from someone claiming to represent us, please let us know and also notify the police to make a formal complaint.

If you do not wish to receive any particular correspondence (lottery books, fundraising appeals, newsletter etc) simply call us and we will amend your membership preferences accordingly.

Monetary support helps TFL undertake many revegetation projects, including one at Monarto. Note the change from original plantings in 2003, top picture, to how it is now.


Carbon Neutral-Direct Seeding

Best year on record for direct seedingKilometres sown – 548Hectares sown – 219Approx no. of plants – 175,338

This year was the best year on record for the Direct Seeding program with 548 kilometres of revegetation completed across South Australia.

State Government funding was also received in the second half of the financial year to assist three landholders to complete their revegetation projects.

This funding has proved invaluable as without it, these landholders could not proceed. Work on these sites will be completed next season.

The year provided many challenges with the drought seeing us hold off planting in the first half and then early and consistent rains in the second making it difficult to access some sites. The strong winter rains this season should see good germination and summer survival rates.

This year, with the help of Foodland, we purchased a quad bike to help plant into difficult sites and to do shielded sprays quickly and efficiently. This has streamlined our hand direct seeding process, leading to better planting.

Volunteer Richard Winkler does some hand direct seeding on Florian Wolf and Sigrid Timmann’s 54-hectare property at Wattle Flat.

CN landholders wanted by TFL

Achieve your revegetation targets faster by hosting a

Carbon Neutral planting.Once again Trees For Life

is looking for landholders who would like to host a carbon offset planting on their property. We are looking for planting areas of at least 10 hectares in total and which enjoy average rainfalls of 350mm or more.

The site needs to be suitable for direct seeding and fenced to keep out grazing stock.

The plantings are done at no cost to the landholder, and you may receive a small stewardship payment for hosting the planting.

The carbon plantings are protected by legal agreement for 100 years, with the agreement registered on your Land Title. If you are interested in showing us your property and getting more information about what is required, please call Dennis Hayles, CN Operations Manager, at the Trees For Life office.

Carbon Neutral Program scales difficult terrainBy DENNIS HAYLES

The Carbon Neutral program carried out revegetation

works on 10 private landholdings in 2009, direct seeding 69 hectares of land for dedicated carbon off-set plantings.

Almost half of this year’s work took place in the lower Fleurieu Peninsula at Mt Compass, Wattle Flat and Yankalilla.

The largest of these sites, that of Florian Wolf and Sigrid Timmann, will see 23 hectares of barren hills and eroded creek beds restored over two years.

Recently arrived from Germany to work with Jurlique International and excited at an opportunity to own some of the wide expanse that is Australia, Florian and Sigrid purchased the 54-hectare Wattle Flat property in 2008 and approached me to discuss options for revegetation. They really wanted to return a sizable portion of the property to nature so they could enjoy the unique flora and fauna at their doorstep.

The challenge of successfully and safely revegetating the severe slopes presented quite a challenge, and we realised our normal approach would not suffice.

After carefully establishing what was required, the areas to be rehabilitated were split up according to our ability to utilize existing equipment. Where possible, we used the 4WD towed disc direct seeder, which works across the contour slopes. In areas too steep for this equipment, we worked up and down the slopes using the quad bike and ripper to spray out and create discontinuous furrows, into which our hard working volunteers manually placed seed as described in the last issue of ReLeaf.

We also planted 500 seedlings along the edges of a severely eroded creek system.

In all, over 13 hectares was seeded or planted with tubestock, 7ha being machine seeded, 5ha hand-seeded and the rest planted with tubestock.

The results so far are promising, with good winter and spring rains supporting the germinating seedlings.

The species used to recreate the original plant communities included Eucalyptus fasciculosa as the dominant over-storey eucalypt, with Allocasuarina verticillata and Melaleuca lanceolata on the upper slopes, and lower and mid-storey species such as Acacia myrtifolia, Acacia paradoxa, Acacia pycnantha, Bursaria spinosa and Xanthorrhoea semiplana across the landscape.


Hunting, tree planting and conservation By PETER TARLING*

The headline might seem a bit of an oxymoron but please

let me explain. My friends and I shoot feral

goats on a friend’s property in the mid north of the state. The goats devastate our native flora.

One afternoon while sitting around the camp fire, burning the fallen branches from an old gum tree, it was said that there were no young gum trees along the creek.

Years of sheep grazing and the goats have decimated them.

We decided to plant some trees along the creek, so I joined Trees For Life in 2003.

I ordered some River Red Gums and Inland Blue Gums, wattles and some sheoaks. We planted the trees and placed tree guards of wire about one metre high around them.

A few years later we decided to fence off a small area around the trees.

Whilst removing one of the tree guards I found a bird nest with three eggs in it. I moved away and a small Silver Eye bird flew back to the nest.

We then found another nest in another tree with eggs in it, so we left the tree guards in place until the chicks had hatched and left the nest.

The following year we fenced off another area and planted some more trees.

One afternoon we were there, a flock of wild budgies flew in and landed in the wattle trees. We had not seen these birds in the area for about 20 years and are now placing some hollow logs up the trees to try and get the parrots to nest around the camp site.

Nothing is as nice as sleeping out bush and having the birds be your alarm clock or sitting around the camp fire with a feed of yabbies and a glass of wine listening to the birds in the trees above you! For 2010 I have ordered some Cypress Pine and some small flowering shrubs for the area. Happy tree planting! * Peter Tarling has been a Trees For Life member for the past six years.

Peter Tarling, with some of the trees he has planted on a site in the mid-north.

Green Christmas Gift Ideas

Forget frantic shopping centres and fighting for a carpark space this Christmas time ... just relax, sit back and do

your Christmas shopping from the comfort of your own lounge room.

Shop on-line at www.treesforlife.org.au or place phone orders for any of the following gift ideas from Trees For Life.•1DozenAdelaideHillsChardonnay$70[collect only]•TreesForLifewineglasses[6 in a box] $22•PeaceOnEarthGreetingCards[10 cards 5 designs] $15•TreesForLife2010Calendar$15•‘WaytoGrow’T-Shirts[Men’s & Women’s fit] $25•TreesForLifeNeoprenestubbyholders$5•GiftOfTreesCertificate$25…we also have a range of books available.

Volunteers thanked for hard work

Each year Trees For Life recognises some of our

outstanding volunteers for their hard work and help throughout the year.

Volunteers are nominated for Thank You Tree Awards by fellow members and this year 43 awards were presented at last week’s Christmas function.

The recipients were: Amy Blaylock (grower

and planter for SYP Landcare Group); Steve Puccetti (BFL bushcarer); Rob and Sue Potter, Dale Reeve and Judy Bayly (volunteer growers); Suman Sharma (BFL administrative volunteer); Nathan Daniell (Youth Action Project Team and PR volunteer); Alissa Smart and Emily Kaese (Youth Action Project Team volunteers); Keith Goulsbra (volunteer grower and Cobbler Creek distribution depot manager); Yanli Ye, Lyn and Tony Spence and Liz Jackson (Tree Scheme administrative volunteers); Brian and Robin Fogarty, Jenny Launer, Marilyn Gatley, Ric Williams,

Ayn Academy members, Cathy Scougall, Graham Bald, Roy Caldwell, Reg Clark, Dennis Broome and Ken Poole (for outstanding bushcare work); Dennis Slade (grounds maintenance); Sunita Ramchandani (marketing and administrative volunteer); Michael Vaughan and Dick Welch (retiring depot managers); Peter Bansemer and John Tagliaferri (nursery volunteers); Christine Banks (volunteer grower and planter); Ben Brinkman, Anna de Lawyer, Mara Pearson, Nicole Carapetis, Alan Dandie, Richard Winkler, Bill Scott and Geoff Clark (seed collection for the direct seeding program); Jane Noble (seedbank volunteer); Bill Adams (PR volunteer and public speaker); Mary Lane and Judy Mack (PR volunteers).

Our sincere thanks to these and all of our volunteers who give so much to the organisation in so many areas.

(For more details on why some of our volunteers were nominated, please visit ‘News and Events’ on our website www.treesforlife.org.au).

Do you know someone who has volunteered for TFL for 10+ years? Please let us know by phoning the office.

Port River cruise?

We are already starting to plan the 2010 year,

especially future members’ events. To this end, we’re considering organising a Port River lunch cruise for members on a weekday in late March.

Before we do this however, we’re interested in taking expressions of interest. If the cruise is something that would interest you, can you please phone our office on 8406 0500 or email [email protected]


Special member offer from Dominant Home Care Products

Dominant Home Care Products is currently supporting Trees For Life by donating $2.00 from the sale of its

Green Tea Hand Wash.As part of their support they are also offering our members

a special deal on their Earth Care Pack which includes a great range of products to keep your home clean and green. For every pack sold Dominant will donate $15 to TFL.

Earth Care Pack

• PhosphateFreeTopLoader • ShowerClean1L OR Phos. Free Front Loader + Trigger Bottle ORPhos.FreePolar(cold) • OrangeOilMultiPurpose 2kg Laundry Powder Cleaner 375ml + Trigger Bottle

• Booster&Soak500g • DishWashSupaLiquid375ml• ToiletCleaner500ml • 1mlSupaLiquidPump• Fruit&VegieWash250ml

$75.00 save $27.00

Call Dominant today on 1300 789 963 to place your order. Be sure to let customer care know that you are a Trees For Life member.

Dominant are Australian owned and operated. Manufactured in SA.

Dominant Home Care Products range is highly concentrated which means that you only need to used the smallest amount. For example the Orange Oil Multi Purpose Cleaner is diluted with water to make 15 trigger spray bottles!

Supermarket brands – equivalent supply of products to Earth Care Pack

• OmoSmall&Mighty • DishwashingLiquid Laundry Powder 1kg x 3.5 Morning Fresh 450ml x 1

• NapisanOxyactionMax • SafeguardFruit&Veggie Stain Remover 1kg x 1.5 Wash 750ml x 1

• EcostoreToiletCleaner • Shower Power Cleaning 500ml x 1 Trigger 500ml x 8

• PineOCleanMultiPurpose Orange Oil 500ml x 15

$194.67RRP* compared to Dominant’s $75.00*Competitor pricing taken from - www.biome.com.au, www.colesonline.com.au, www.pacco.com.au

For Members

Impressed with TFL’s work

Dear Trees For Life,

I just read my Releaf magazine and read about Maureen’s 20 years at Trees For Life. When I came back to SA in 1998 I was pleased to find an association where I could become actively involved in doing something positive for the environment which fitted in with the rest of my life – growing seedlings.

Over the years since I started growing, it is not only the great feeling of growing seedlings and hoping they make a difference that has kept me going. It is also the fact that from the beginning I have been seriously impressed with the level of relevant and reliable organisation that goes into every aspect of Trees For Life. And I’ve come to see that Maureen, though she is one amongst many, is a very important part of the whole thing. So congratulations to her and to you all. I’m looking forward to Summer 2010!

- Francoise Piron

Summer is here ... time to get on your bike

Did you know that about half the greenhouse gas

emissions produced by an average Australian household each year are from transport?

Cycling is one way a household can significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, plus you take time to take in the scenery, it’s often faster than driving and you get fit too.

Look the part on your bike this summer with a stylish TFL cycle jersey or sleeveless wind vest for only $80. Order on line.

30th Birthday calendar pics

Our 2011 calendar will recognise the environmental

contribution of our members. We are seeking photos which capture the impact individual members have had through participation in our programs.

Subjects could include successful revegetation created through TFL seedlings or direct seeding, bushland which has been saved from weed infestation, plants, flowers, insects or animals which have found a home in revegetated patches or returned to rehabilitated bush.

Photos should reflect a direct link back to the work our members have done. Emailed images can be sent to [email protected]

Safe arrival of Lucy Caitlin

We are thrilled to announce the safe arrival of a new

addition to our TFL family – a baby girl, Lucy Caitlin, born to our wonderful Membership Coordinator and Kids Branch Editor, Carly Gowers, on October 22.

Lucy weighed 9lb 3oz and by all reports kept mum and dad, Mat, waiting for a while before making her appearance! But both bub and mum are doing very well.

Congratulations to Carly and Mat from us all here at TFL and welcome to the world Lucy. We’ll have you growing trees and cutting and swabbing weeds before you know it!

What are the three Rs of the environment?

Win a copy of Tanya Ha’s new book ‘Green Stuff for

kids’. RRP $29.95 Email your answer to info@

treesforlife.org.au and put Kids

Branch in the heading. Entries close December 18 at 5pm

Make sure you include your name, age and mailing address. Good luck!

“Something fun, informative and challenging for green kids (and their parents) to sink their teeth into” – Tim Flannery

$15.00 goes to

Trees For Life


Service Directory

Useful contactsNRM Board Contacts

Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges Kym Good 8273 9100Alinytjara Wilurara Lorraine Rosenberg 8357 3880Eyre Peninsula Kate Clarke 8682 5655Kangaroo Island Jeanette Gellard 8553 4300Northern & Yorke 8636 2361South Australian Arid Lands John Gavin 8648 5194South Australian Murray-Darling Basin John Johnson 8532 1432South East Hugo Hopton 8724 6000

Local native seed & seedling suppliers

Trees For Life 8406 0500Blackwood Seeds - Fleurieu Peninsula, Mid North, Adelaide Hills & Murray Mallee 8558 8288Northern Lofty Native Seeds - Ph 8566 3073 Northern Lofty provenance. Fax 8566 3630Provenance Indigenous Nursery - Adelaide coast, plains and hills 8345 0300Themeda - Adelaide Plains 8352 6778 Wirrascape - Aldinga Plains 8557 4173Fleurieu Natives - Adelaide Hills and South Coast 8556 9167Yorke Seeds - Yorke Peninsula 8853 1120Eucaleuca Native Services - South East 8762 2061Growing Bush - Southern Mt Lofty Ranges & South Adelaide 0427 722 979Alexandrina Community Nursery - Southern Fleurieu and South Coast 8554 2555Eyre Native Seeds - Eyre Peninsula & Far West 8682 6233 Barossa Bushgardens - Barossa region 0448 676 348Natural State - Mallee, Riverland, Adelaide Hills, South Coast, South East (www.naturalstate.com.au) 8572 3049 South Para Biodiversity Project - Yvonne Gravier 0430 018 007

Trees For LifeTrees For Life, 5 May Tce, Brooklyn Park 5032Ph: (08) 8406 0500; Fax: (08) 8406 [email protected]; www.treesforlife.org.au

Trees For Life Board

President - David MitchellVice President - Mary-Anne HealyTreasurer - David BradleySecretary - Megan HarperBoard Members - David Grybowski, Warren Hilton, Jonathan Lambert and Nathan Daniell

Trees For Life Key Contacts

Chief Executive Officer - Carmel DundonOffice Manager - Alison PlattTree Scheme Manager - Maureen RedfernBush For Life Manager - Mark EllisDirect Seeding Manager - David HeinCN Operations (Land) - Dennis HaylesSeedbank Manager - Bruce SmithMembership - Bess HillyardSponsorship - Glenys PerriCommunications - Tania KearneyFundraising - Bernie Omodei

Trees For Life Rural Contacts

Gawler Sylvia Nieuwenhuizen 8406 8419Noarlunga Graham Greaves 8386 1018Willunga Joyce West 8323 7513 Paul Rosser 8323 8189Mt Gambier Briony Schleuniger 8724 9759Mt Pleasant Ruth Charlesworth 8524 6661Clare Dean Schubert 8843 4317

DEH Bush Management Program

The Department for Environment and Heritage is divided into two broad functional areas in relation to the conservation of

Biodiversity: Park Management and Biodiversity Conservation. Phone Bush Management advisers on (08) 8222 9311.

AMLR Land Management Program

The Land Management Program is an education and advisory service provided to the rural landholders of the Mount Lofty

Ranges and the Fleurieu Peninsula. Through the program, rural landholders can participate in low-cost education courses, and demonstration field days, and receive one-on-one farm advice. Phone (08) 8391 7500.

Murray River LAP

Local Action Planning groups undertake education and training programs, catchment monitoring, improved property

management, wetland management and revegetation. Assistance is provided by way of direct funding or advice on technical, financial, engineering and contractual matters. Phone: (08) 8582 4477.


Member Offers, Sponsors and Supporters

Disclaimer

Trees For Life takes no responsibility for the services or products featured in its quarterly magazine, ReLeaf.

Can you help?

Do you work for an organisation or know

of a business which may be interested in supporting our work through sponsorship?

TFL has various sponsorship levels available that can be tailored to suit specific requirements including conservation sponsor, special events sponsorship and program sponsorship. Support of TFL can help position your business as an environmentally aware operator and helps fund our commitment to education, training, and volunteer support.

For all enquiries contact Glenys Perri at [email protected]

Perpetual Sponsor

TCT respected by clients

Russell Botten has always been passionate about

protecting our environment, which prompted him to buy a small tree company, Taking Care of Trees (TCT) in 2006.

With a background in landscaping and trades management, he re-branded the company, obtained QHSE certification, implemented ongoing staff development and became an annual charitable partner with Trees For Life.

This has all enabled TCT to focus on delivering specialised tree and arborist services with the aim of helping people and trees to co-habitate together safely.

Russell’s focus and commitment to delivering personalised customer service has resulted in Taking Care of Trees becoming one of Adelaide’s prominent tree service companies, employing over 15 qualified staff.

It was a natural synergy for the company to partner with Trees For Life and a donation is made to Trees For Life for every tree that TCT needs to remove.

Through this association, TCT has earned the respect of its clients by demonstrating a commitment to help sustain our fragile environment through its everyday business activities.

TCT also offers Trees for Life members a special discount on services. For more information, please visit www.takingcareoftrees.com.au, or ring TCT’s arborist, Matt, on 1800 015 557.

Organisations give TFL support

Thank you to the Tea Tree Gully Council, which

recently offered Trees For Life up to 1500 second-hand core flute guards and stakes to give away to our members.

The guards were in a very good condition, so we’re sure they will be greatly appreciated by members.

A big thank you also goes to Adelaide Hilton, which has donated the seller’s prize for this year’s lottery. The ‘Free Wheeling Earth Break’ prize comprises two nights accommodation in a deluxe room with chocolate and wine plus the use of two bicycles to see the sights of the city without creating any greenhouse gas emissions or having the hassle of parking.

Water solutions for life: the vision

Trees For Life welcomes Hills/Team Poly as a new Red

Gum Sponsor.Hills/Team Poly are industry

leaders in the supply of water storage solutions and other speciality polyethylene products for the Australian Market.

Hills generously donated a rainwater tank for this year’s annual lottery and in the past, the Enviro team at the Hills branch at Edwardstown has grown seedlings for the Tree Scheme and held various fundraising activities.

The range of water storage products available extends from 500 to 50,050 litre storage systems to suit every Australian home. They are styled in a unique outback-corrugated look, suitable for both rural and urban environments.

Team Poly started as a small family owned company in 1991 in Lonsdale, focused on providing superior Tank Engineering And Manufacturing (hence the acronym TEAM), specialising in polyethylene, (POLY) rotationally manufactured products. The company grew steadily throughout the 1990s, with products now sold in over 2000 individual retail outlets.

Hills maintains a vision for the water storage solutions category in Australia, with the acquisition of Team Poly in 2006 being the first step.

The company believes harvesting of rainwater plays a vital role in our future sustainability, ideally with rainwater being plumbed into houses and around gardens for daily use.

TFL believes the support of Hills/Team Poly is extremely complimentary to our combined objectives to work towards the future sustainability of our natural environment.


Answers: 1) True, 2) False, they use their mouthparts, 3) True.

and produce eggs that look like (mimic) seeds.

These seed-like eggs are collected by ants and carried to nutritious, warm, guarded ant nests where they hatch. Baby stick insects even look and act like ants, so once they have hatched they can blend in and escape safely, having dispersed successfully away from their parents and siblings.

Quiz: True or False? Write X for your answer.

1. True FalseSeeds within ant nests are protected from harsh, drying summer weather as well as bushfires?

2. True FalseAnts carry seeds using their strong legs?

3. True FalseSome seeds have parachutes attached to slowly carry them through the air for dispersal?

Did you know?

Did you know that insects play an important role in

the dispersal of over 1500 plant species in Australia? Of the insects involved, ants are generally considered to be the most effective.

Many plants encourage ants by emitting chemical attractants and offering nutritional benefits. When ants collect seeds they carry them back to their nests, where they eat the food body attached to the seed. The remaining seed is then able to germinate away from the parent plant, thus reducing competition.

This is a ‘win-win’ situation where the ants get food, and the plant has a higher chance of survival. This process is called ‘Myrmecochory’, and the largest recorded distance of myrmecochory is 180m. Some stick insects use this relationship to their advantage,

7-year-old Travis’s impressions of Kingston-on-Murray after camping up there.

Families plant together

In August our volunteer grower and his daughter Caitlin

planted trees with us, the Rayner family – on our property at Waikerie.

Everyone helped, even two-year-old Ethan; he put the plastic tubes in the bin!

It was a great day, planting over 150 trees. Not bad for two hours. Over the next few weeks our family and a few helpers planted approximately another two patches of 200 trees, making the total planted 550 trees. - The Rayner family (Mitchell, 7, sent us in a picture of their planting activities above: “I had fun riding the motorbike”, he said.)

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Maggie the magpie from Lexie, 7.

Creative kids show they care

The Kids Branch really benefited from the last

school holidays as we received so many creative and colourful drawings, poems and stories.

We had some great drawings from each member of the Byrne family, a beautiful story and photos from Daniel about planting trees and even some Maggie the magpie drawings!

We wish we could put them all in Kids Branch, but if yours isn’t here, please visit our website and you’ll see them all there.

Thank you so very much for your contributions and we hope the winners of our Greenhills Adventure Park passes and other prizes are enjoyed.

Lastly, have a fantastic Christmas and don’t forget that you’ll have even more spare time to get creative for Kids Branch. Keep sending your wonderful items in to us at 5 May Terrace, Brooklyn Park 5032. Happy holidays.

Above: Another Maggie by Ashlea, 5. Dra

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Documents

ReLeaf summer 2009