Facts on Landcare Tree Planting Projects

What is Landcare?

Australia ’s largest environmental movement, set up in 1986, to tackle land degradation. It is a partnership between community, business and government with over 4000 volunteer groups supported by a professional network of coordinators.

What trees are planted?

The selection of trees includes understory species and native grasses. All vegetation is indigenous to the area and collected by qualified staff.

Are trees cut-down?

Trees are not cut down and will seed and continue to grow trees long into the future.

Are they protected?

All revegetation is a time-consuming and costly exercise that landholders are only prepared to undertake for long term conservation. All native vegetation is protected by native vegetation laws and cannot be cleared. Some areas will be under specific conservation covenants protecting them on-title of the property

Where are trees planted?

Trees are planted in the areas identified through regional planning as requiring revegetation activities for water quality, biodiversity, riparian protection, linking significant remnants and to mitigate the effects of salinity, erosion and the problems posed by invasive pest plants and animals such as rabbits and box thorn.

The trees are only planted in areas that were previously forested and have been cleared. These areas include private land, leasehold land, indigenous community land and public land including local and state government.

What about water for the trees?

As biodiversity plantings these trees are not monoculture and are not under irrigation. This is for forestry and other tree growing enterprises. Trees are planted where the climate suits them and drought plantings are done judiciously to ensure survival. Many direct seeded sites will flourish through droughts. Some areas planted since drought conditions of 2003 are now over four metres tall and have seeded new trees.

Trees also assist in the loss and storage of water. Falling rain is intercepted by vegetation. A small proportion of the rain is evaporated directly from the plants surfaces. During rain, water is stored on the surfaces of leaves and stems. When it ceases to rain, water will continue to drip from a tree. This can help to even out a rainstorm and to reduce flood peaks. The table below shows the benefits of vegetation cover in disturbed/modified catchments and native vegetation as an example.

1. Typical Undisturbed Catchment in Sydney Region
		Interception and evaporation
		from plant surfaces	15%
		Runoff	15%
		Seepage to groundwater and rivers	10%
		Evapotranspiration	60%

	2. High Density Urban Catchment
		Runoff	up to 90%
		Evapotranspiration and
		seepage to ground water	10%

For further information please go to www.landcareonline.com.au or follow these links:

http://www.landcareonline.com/faq.asp

http://www.landcareonline.com/page.asp?pID=53