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Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial
• Supported by Gippsland Agroforestry Network Landcare Group through a Victorian Landcare Grant via Latrobe Landcare Network
• Description of the property
• Description of the Trial
• A series of before and after photos
Developing a Demonstration Property
• To demonstrate the re-use of land after a pine plantation • To build a new high value wood based resource • To protect soil and maximise water infiltration • To build up soil carbon through the production and distribution of bio-char • To protect existing high value native vegetation • To build up biodiversity resilience • To factor in and minimise the potential damage done by wildfire • To factor in and minimise the effects of probable climate change • To produce domestic supplies of meat, eggs, fruit, vegetables, fungi and
honey • To provide a vegetative link between the areas of native vegetation • To remove car bodies left by previous owners • To minimise the business and family carbon footprint • To provide a challenging environment for the rearing of children
2006 2007 Changes
2007 2008 Development Activities
• Some site preparation with 25 tonne excavator, burning heaps and broadcast prior to summer.
• Some soil loss with heavy rain at end of the drought. • Planted first trees September 2007 Seed from seed
orchard, grown at Yarram but with dubious soil medium. • Some areas double planted. Was aiming for 400 stpha.
Looking for understorey regrowth to secure and stabilise the soil. Wallaby repellent on foliage.
• Completed harvesting and planted 2008. High wallaby numbers and severe loss of trees. Replanted 2009 and reapplied wallaby repellent. More significant loss. Seed fall from messmate provided a regrowth of an overstory crop. Some original planted trees survived.
Biodiversity Results
• First planting area was well covered with understory and ground level plants (bird orchids observed in 2014)
• Most likely seed source was fresh seed from adjoining native vegetation (on Northwest side) in drought conditions
• Possible seed in soil (wattles) from before pine planting (25-28 years earlier)
• Potential problems with blackberry infestation overcome by massive vegetation establishment and consequent shading
• In twelve months created an environment that sustained and increased wallaby habitat and numbers so that they decimated any further plantings
• Purpose of this new trial is to try to replicate these results and deal with wallaby (and now rabbit) grazing pressure
Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial
• To demonstrate the effects of providing a mineral earth seed bed to build biodiversity in an agroforestry woodlot.
• To trap and grow local native vegetation seed to build the biodiversity, naturally • To incorporate browsing minimisation techniques • Apply wallaby repellent for immediate temporary protection • Install guards to divert wallaby attention from plants and protection from rabbits • Plant late in the season (September) to minimise the non-growth period • To achieve adequate growth of targeted overwood species • To document management activity, predominantly over the first ten years • To record, photographically, the development of the trial and the species coverage • To reinforce the vegetative link between the larger native vegetation areas • To build cohesion within GAN Landcare (Planting day in September) • To provide venue and information for follow-up field-days
Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial
• Using Spotted Gum (NSW/Qld native) to allow for climate change to warmer temperatures
• Seed source is from the best of the existing trees which were of seed orchard stock (John Goy) The best phenotypes of selected genotypes!
• Spotted gum a semi-durable tree species that can be used for sawn-wood, post and poles and firewood
• There is an existing market for this species at Yarram where a premium price is paid for pruned logs of adequate size
• Management will require the pruning of trees to sawlog height (completed by year 8) and the thinning to final crop numbers
• Competition from the biodiverse species will need to be managed • There may be opportunity costs delaying harvest due to such competition • Whether clearfelled or selectively harvested, the woodlot should have
sufficient resilience to regrow quickly after disturbance
Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial
Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial
Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial
Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial
Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial
Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial
Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial
Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial
Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial
Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial
Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial
Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial
Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial
Biodiverse Agroforestry Woodlot Trial