Planting for Resilience
Planting for Resilience
In response to the recent excessive rainfall and flooding events, Shoalhaven Landcare are committed to supporting our landowners by organising tree planting to stabalise river and creek banks and educate about tree management following flood events.
Capacity to Deliver -
LEP23 - 014_LLC08_1
The issue
Over the last four years we have seen increasing number of natural disasters in particular excessive rain, leading to more intense flooding and landslip activity. Shoalhaven Landcare have been committed to supporting our local landowners to response to these impacts. In particular, landowners have noticed greater impacts to bank erosion along their creeks and rivers. Erosion is a natural process along creeks and rivers, however more intense rainfall, and rainfall over longer periods, over recent years is causing much greater erosion to banks and damage to properties. Cleared land adjacent to creeks and river can contribute to greater erosion impacts after flood events. These areas need vegetation to support and stabilise banks and minimise excessive erosion in future intense rain and flooding events.
The solution
Shoalhaven Landcare have recently organised, with the support of funding from Landcare NSW People Led Prevention (PLP) grant, three tree planting events and an educational workshop to assist landowners in undertaking actions that will create resilience in their natural environments. Working with landowners on major creeks and rivers, the tree planting activities were aimed at planting locally native bank stabalising plants, in addition to other riparian species further up slope, to try to provide some bank stabilisation to minimise the impacts of future flood events.
To support these on ground works Shoalhaven Landcare also organised a Tree Recovery workshop. This workshop engaged a local Arborist to talk to participants and landowners about the various methods of trimming, pruning and managing fallen or damaged trees along creeks and rivers.
The impact
57 volunteers contributed to our three tree planting events including Scots College Students from the Glengarry Campus, our friends at Shoalhaven Riverwatch, and other local volunteers. Over 1150 plants were planted along creek and riverbanks and in riparian zones to support bank stabilisation for the future. We were also fortunate to have the East Timor Group come along to provide a delicious lunch for participants following each tree planting event. The Tree Recovery workshop was also a success with 10 participants learning more about tree maintenance and care following flooding events.
Key facts
- An increase in excessive rain events are leading to increased erosion on creek and river banks.
- Along with 57 volunteers, Shoalhaven Landcare organised three tree planting days to plant over 1100 plants to assist in bank stabilisation
- this project was proudly supported by the Landcare NSW People Led Prevention (PLP) grant project.