Due to a successful funding grant received by Greening Australia (WA) teams were engaged to hand plant over 20,000 trees and shrubs at two sites at Clifton Farm recently.
Planting Teams were engaged from the Badgebup Aboriginal Corporation who spent a couple of days planting the sites.
Over 20 hectares across two sites was revegetated with local trees and shrubs. The existing creek line located close to the top of the catchment is the head waters to the Meinmuggin Gully and this transports water to the Lake. The main creek line targeted is partly degraded and with vegetation being established, the landscape will improve and shade and shelter will be returned to the paddocks to benefit the livestock.
The sites had been well prepared using a ripper mounder, which is best practise for saline areas as it provides ideal conditions for saltbush seedlings to establish away from waterlogged soils and allows salt to be leached away from the seedling's roots.
Planting on these bare sites is limited to saltbush only, due to the concentration of salt at the surface and these plants have the ability to tolerate slightly saline conditions, whereas most other species cannot tolerate the same level of salt, either at establishment or thereafter.
There are examples of sites scattered across the shire where the wrong plant has been planted in the wrong place and after a few years the rising water table and saline conditions has destroyed the entire plantation.
Monitoring the establishment and growth of saltbush at this site will determine planting boundaries and the survival of other species will be monitored for suitability and longevity to these sites. The results will indicate survival characteristics of different species and this information will be documented and shared to other landowners who are interested in establishing saline sites to saltbush or other forage shrubs.
Under some planting situations, Oldman saltbush has exhibited crude protein in excess of 15% and the mineral content of this plant is also advantageous to grazing stock. There’s a large range of forage species that can be selected for saline areas and scientific data is readily available to assist you in your selection of species.
If you require more details please contact Claudia Hadlow at the Landcare Office on landcare@dumbleyung.wa.gov.au or ring 0429 612 447.