PROJECT REPORT
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT Dear friend, Thanks to your support, a total of 36,270 trees were planted to restore 79 hectares of land in Australia. Planting trees in areas that have been degraded or deforested helps the environment by accelerating and assuring the re-establishment of healthy forests. Through reforestation, the canopy is restored, ecosystems are made whole, and biodiversity can thrive. None of this would be possible without you. On behalf of everyone at One Tree Planted, thank you! What follows is a report outlining the project you supported in Australia. I hope you enjoy reading it and truly feel the impact you have made.
OVERVIEW The objective of the Australia 2023 - Threatened Species Habitat Restoration in WA project was to create and enhance wildlife habitat for threatened species, and engage the community in the conservation of riparian areas. Through reforestation, this project aims to stabilize soil, enhance canopy connectivity, and augment community knowledge and investment in environmental restoration.
TREES PLANTED 36,270
TREE SPECIES PLANTED 22
FAMILIES BENEFITED 8
HECTARES REFORESTED 79.80
WOMEN INVOLVED 65 VOLUNTEERS INVOLVED 140
ACRES REFORESTED 195 WILDLIFE SPECIES BENEFITED 20
TREE SPECIES PLANTED Thirty-one native tree species were planted across 195 acres for this project. They were selected to provide functional diversity and structure to the planting sites, and provide habitat and food sources for a variety of wildlife species. The planting sites were revegetated using tubestock sourced from local nurseries, using local seed. Planting densities vary across the sites, depending on the intention of the plantings. For instance, for sites at Dumbleyung, rainfall is much lower, requiring planting densities of approximately 800 stems/ha, including shrubs and ground cover. The Dumbleyung sites will also be fenced to exclude livestock and boost seedling survival. Another planting site was on private farmland, where an additional 5,000 trees were planted. Tree Lucerne, or Cytisus proliferus, was used for this particular site as it was sandy and tended to dry very quickly at the end of winter, which makes it difficult to establish mixed native plantings. The sandy soils are also prone to wind erosion due to the lack of vegetation. The tree lucerne tends to grow and survive better in this environment, and will work to stabilize the soil and reduce erosion. Once established, the landholder will go back through the area and plant native shrubs and ground cover, as the tree cover provided will greatly improve their survival. At the remaining sites, located in Margaret River, Kingston and Donnybrook, the planting densities were lower — as these plantings are intended to enhance the existing habitat by filling cleared areas with native vegetation and enhancing the connectivity of the canopy. These planting sites were prepared with weed control and ripping or augering as appropriate to prepare the soil, and will be protected from grazing by rabbits and kangaroos with treeguards.
TREE SPECIES PLANTED Wooly-flowered Hakea (Hakea lasianthiodes) Tea Tree (Taxandria parviceps) Jam Wattle (Acacia acuminata) Coastal Peppermint (Agonis flexuosa) Rock Sheoak (Allocasuarina huegeliana) Swamp Banksia (Banksia littoralis) Swamp Sheoak (Casuarina obesa) Dwarf Sheoak (Casuarina quadrifidus) Marri (Corymbia callophylla) Tagasaste (Cytisus proliferus) Wandoo (Eucaluptus marginata) Brown Mallet (Eucalyptus astringens) Kondinin Blackbutt (Eucalyptus kondininensis) Unknown (Eucalyptus loxophleba ssp gratiae) Unknown (Eucalyptus loxophleba subsp .lissophloia)
Flat Topped Yate (Eucalyptus loxophleba subsp. loxophleba) Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) York Gum (Eucalyptus occidentalis) Blackbutt (Eucalyptus patens) River Gum (Eucalyptus rudis) Salt River Gum (Eucalyptus sargentii) Swamp Mallet (Eucalyptus spathulata) Wandoo (Eucalyptus wandoo) Needle Tree (Hakea preissii) Saltwater Paperbark (Melaleuca cuticularis) Unknown (Melaleuca hamulosa) Grey Honey Myrtle (Melaleuca incana) Swamp Paperbark (Melaleuca raphiophylla) Salt Lake Honey Myrtle (Melaleuca thyoides) Pine Tree (Pinus radiata) Swamp Peppermint (Taxandria linearifolia)
ADDITIONAL SPECIES PLANTED Anigozanthos flavidus 72 Darwinia citriodora 160 Hardenbergia compotoniana 72 Hypocalymma cordifolium 80 Juncus pallidus 72 Lepidosperma effusum 80 Acacia myrtifolia 72 Acacia pulchella 72 Acacia urophylla 72 Astartea scoparia 72 Bossiaea linophylla 80
Hakea lissocarpha 72 Hakea oleifolia 72 Hakea varia 72 Hibbertia cuneiformis 40 Hovea elliptica 40 Leucopogon verticullatus 80 Melaleuca acuminata 640 Melaleuca lateriflora 960 Melaleuca uncinata 320 Melaleuca vinimea 320 Trymalium odoratissimum 80
TREE SPECIES
IDENTIFICATION & USE Two key tree species planted in this project were Salt River Gum (Eucalyptus sargentii) and Tagasaste (Cytisus proliferus). There are over 750 species of gum (eucalyptus) tree worldwide, and a majority of them are endemic to Australia. Salt River Gum, also known as Eucalyptus sargentii, is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia, and grows from 8 to 11 meters tall. It has a wide spreading crown, slender green leaves and dark grey-black bark. Heavily utilized for land reclamation, this species succeeds well in saline soils and is tolerant of drought, wind and moderate frost. It is an endangered tree species, meaning its use in restoration and reforestation projects will go a long way toward restoring the native stands that once covered much of West Australia and have since been cleared for agriculture. Tagasaste, or Cytisus proliferus, is a small evergreen tree/shrub that grows from 3 to 4 meters tall. Although it is indigenous to the Canary Islands, tagasaste was introduced to Australia around 1879 through seed sharing with the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. This species has rough yellow-grey bark and boasts a prolific floral display during the rainy season from June to October. The flowers are creamy white, scented, and can be found in clusters around the tree. Tagasaste is what’s known as a ‘spreading’ tree, and has two types of roots. It has a few large 'sinker' roots that can extend down into the soil at least 10 meters. These are used to extract moisture from that depth during the long dry summers. It also has many 'feeder' roots, which are mostly confined to the top 1.5 meters of soil, and can extend out at least 15 meters from the trunk. Tagasaste is valued for its numerous special qualities. It is a nitrogen-fixing tree, which can capture nitrogen from the air to improve soil fertility, as well as a fertilizer, feature and bee forage tree. Adding to its usefulness is that fact that it’s hardy and drought-tolerant, able to grow in areas of low rainfall and survive winters as cold as -9°C. Because they are so multi-functional, they are heavily used by farmers and other landowners, making them a plentiful, available forage plant for honey bees. In this project, Tagasaste is used as an early ‘pioneer’ species to help stabilize the planting site before introducing more native species, increasing their chance at survival.
ONE TREE PLANTED HAS BEEN FANTASTIC IN HELPING US ACHIEVE OUR GOALS. WE AIM FOR A FUTURE WHERE NATIVE SPECIES ARE STABLE OR INCREASING IN NUMBERS AND OUR FARMING COMMUNITIES ARE SUSTAINABLE BOTH ENVIRONMENTALLY AND ECONOMICALLY.
YOUR IMPACT ON THE MAP The Australia 2023 - Threatened Species Habitat Restoration in WA project supported the planting of 36,270 trees across 79 hectares in southwest West Australia for the purpose of restoring wildlife habitat of threatened species, improving soil stability and health, and restoring land that was fragmented or degraded due to intensive agriculture. By reforesting these sites, this project strives to cultivate a sustainable, resilient ecosystem capable of supporting wildlife and the community alike.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT Western Australia Reforestation to Restore Threatened Species Habitat in SW West Australia
DOCUMENTING YOUR IMPACT Through authentic and informative storytelling, we help donors relate to the people who plant their trees and to the impact they're making for the planet. We share photos, videos, and updates from our global projects across our social media, website, and other media to create a personal connection to the incredible work happening on the ground.
PHOTOS FROM YOUR PROJECT
PLANTING TREES IN UNPRODUCTIVE AREAS OF THE FARM IS BOTH GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND OUR MENTAL HEALTH, BECAUSE THESE AREAS OF LAND THAT WERE GETTING ERODED AND LOOKING WORSE EACH YEAR WILL NOW START LOOKING BETTER.
BIODIVERSITY BENEFITS Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on earth at all levels, from genes to ecosystems, and all the processes that sustain life. This project’s plantings will provide vital habitat for threatened species including the Critically Endangered Western Ringtail Possum and the Carnaby's Cockatoo. Three plantings were specifically designed to create habitat for the Western Ringtail Possum, whose population has declined by more than 95% since British settlement, due to clearing of habitat, fire and the introduction of the red fox. In these areas (Margaret River, Eaton and Donnybrook), Western Ringtail Possum populations regularly reach densities of 2-5 animals per hectare. Once these plantings have matured, they should be able to sustain an additional 5-10 possums. Furthermore, planting in riparian areas will help to stabilize stream banks and reduce erosion. Plantings in the Dumbleyung area, located near the Dumbleyung Lake, will help to address the spread of dryland salinity by reducing groundwater recharge while also providing foraging habitat for Carnaby's Cockatoo.
COMMUNITY
BENEFITS
This project engaged over 200 members of the local community with volunteer tree planting events at Margaret River, Kingston and Donnybrook. Public events help to bring visibility and garner local support for conservation initiatives and improve the community’s understanding of the value of habitat for threatened species. Likewise, this project benefited local farmers and improved ecosystem services on their farms by reducing land degradation from salinity and wind erosion.
U.N. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS THIS PROJECT CONTRIBUTED TO THE FOLLOWING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS:
WHAT ARE SDGS? Sustainable development entails seeking out solutions that not only boost the economic outcomes of developing and poorer nations, but also work to limit (or eliminate) our impact on the planet. Trees are one such solution. From creating jobs and reducing hunger to improving gender equality, cleaning air and water, absorbing carbon, protecting life on land and water, and more, planting trees can address all 17 sustainable development goals.
“Southwest WA is unique and diverse, with incredible plant & animal species that are not found anywhere else on Earth. Significant landscape challenges like salinity and erosion are putting pressure on these precious ecosystems. Thank you for helping to restore this special part of the world!”
Meghan Danny Global Project Support Specialist
Beth Dalgleish Director of Projects Australia