Native Seed Collection
Native Seed Collection
Helping Kyeamba Valley landholders to collect viable native tree seeds.
Community Participation -
LP011-015
The issue
Many native paddock trees and remnant forest areas across the Murrumbidgee region are in decline. With the long drought and bushfires in 2020, replanting native trees in our rural landscape is a fundamental step in helping our natural ecosystems recover.
Across our rural landscape, paddock trees stand out as an iconic image, providing shade and shelter for livestock and helping to maintain the productive capacity of the land. Paddock trees also provide an immense benefit to biodiversity by providing food, shelter and nesting sites for a large number of birds, bats, insects and small mammals.
The solution
The ending of the drought has placed enormous pressure on nurseries across the region to maintain supply of native tree seedlings.
The Kyeamba Valley Landcare group held a seed collection field day to help increase seed supplies for the workshop participants, and to bolster supply of native seed to the Riverina Highlands Landcare Nursery. A commercial seed collector led the day, helping participants to identify different tree species and to develop effective strategies for collecting viable seed throughout the different seasons.
The impact
Seed was collected from a Travelling Stock Reserve (TSR) in autumn 2021. Species included Eucalyptus camaldulensis (River Red Gum), Eucalyptus polyanthemos (red box), Eucalyptus melliodora (yellow box) and Acacia dealbata (Silver wattle). All participants were able to take home seed from all the species collected, to propagate and plant out in the winter planting period.
The Riverina Highlands Landcare Nursery received a strong boost to it's native seed supply from a more dry provenance region, to help safeguard against a future warmer climate by producing more dry tolerant seedlings.
Key facts
- Paddock trees across Eastern Australia are in decline
- Collection of viable native seed can help restore native tree population
- Paddock trees are ecological hot spots for large numbers of birds, bats, insects and small mammals