Wattle Day Plantings Reaping Rewards
Alison Skinner – Slopes to Summit Partnership Facilitator from the Nature Conservation Trust of New South Wales – reports inaugural National Wattle Day plantings are going very well.
'It’s great to see the progress that’s been made over the past few months', said Alison.
The National Wattle Day planting, held 1 September 2009, saw 32 volunteers come together at Blue Metal Travelling Stock Reserve, 40 km north of Albury, to plant 500 Silver Wattle trees and other species. The plantings are intended to help connect wildlife habitat and boost an important food resource for Squirrel Gliders. The plantings took place on either side of a new Squirrel Glider crossing installed across the Hume Highway near Holbrook. Those who attended the event were lucky enough to witness the release of a Squirrel Glider into the Reserve.
'The tree planting achieved at a local level what the Slopes to Summit program aims to achieve on a much larger scale; that is bringing people together to reconnect ecosystems and valuable habitat for wildlife', said Alison.
'The funding for the tree planting was generously provided by the NSW Environmental Trust as part of the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative. The Slopes to Summit corridor is an important part of this ambitious and long-term program which aims to establish a conservation corridor for the 1,200 km section of the Great Eastern Ranges in NSW.'
Squirrel Gliders require hollows in mature trees for nesting. The animals will often use 10–12 nests across their home range. The Squirrel Glider is a threatened and 'gap limited' species, with an average glide length of 30–40 m. If there are large gaps in the tree canopy in their habitat they are forced to glide closer to the ground, or even move across the ground, increasing their chances of being caught in barbed-wire fencing or snared by predators.
Revegetation activities such as the National Wattle Day tree planting event can help widen or connect existing patches of habitat, allowing animals to move freely through the landscape.
'The 2 sites we chose are well and truly up-and-running, providing an improved link for Squirrel Gliders. There’s also been some serious munching of seedlings outside the purpose-built exclosures. We suspect Wombats, but there’s been very little plant mortality. Most plantings have already grown above the native grasses and are looking great.'
