Audit of ten Mother's Day Community Planting Sites
Brunswick Valley Landcare commissioned monitoring audits across ten community tree planting sites to assess long-term performance, identify key learnings, and inform best-practice recommendations for future community revegetation projects across the Brunswick Valley.
Efficiency - LEP23-033_LLCBVL
The issue
Brunswick Valley Landcare has held annual Mother's Day community tree plantings for 15 years, planting thousands of trees across public and private land with hundreds of community volunteers. Questions arose about how these sites are performing over time: which species are thriving, what maintenance approaches are working, and what lessons could be shared with the community and future plantings. Community members expressed a desire to revisit sites they had planted and understand their impact. BVL needed to assess the sites before planning an educational field trip and improving future planting design.
The solution
In February - March 2026, BVL commissioned EarthScapes Consulting, specialists in environmental analysis, planning and assessments, to do monitoring audits across ten previous Mother's Day planting sites. Audits assessed species performance, canopy development, weed pressure, maintenance history, soil conditions, plant spacing and species diversity. The monitoring findings will inform an upcoming community field trip to selected sites, giving members the opportunity to see the plantings firsthand, learn from what worked, and build knowledge of best-practice large-scale revegetation and maintenance across a range of site conditions and vegetation types.
The impact
Older sites with regular maintenance and strong landholder involvement showed the best outcomes; greater canopy cover, lower weed pressure and strong native regeneration. The monitoring produced clear recommendations for future plantings: match species to site conditions, plan for at least three years of maintenance, use staged planting on difficult sites, assess soil health before planting, and ensure landholders receive clear action plans. A shortlist of three to four sites has been identified for a community field trip, creating an ongoing learning resource for members, landholders and future volunteers.
Learnings
Sites with committed landholders, regular maintenance and appropriate species selection performed strongly. Sites with high weed pressure, grazing impacts, poor soil preparation or the wrong species planted were in poorer condition. Handing custodianship to landholders after three years works well where there is genuine engagement, but struggled where ownership had changed or interest was limited. The monitoring confirmed that no single planting approach suits all sites. Tailored design, ongoing follow-up and clear landholder communication are essential to long-term success.
Key facts
- BVL has conducted community tree plantings across 15 sites through its annual Mother's Day events over the past 15 years.
- Following 10 site visits, a monitoring report has been prepared with recommendations covering species selection, maintenance schedules, soil health, weed competition, environmental impacts, and potential learning sites for a member field trip.