Paddock Trees- Who will miss them when they are gone?
Paddock Trees- Who will miss them when they are gone?
Neighbouring groups Yass Landcare & Hovells Creek Landcare Group got together in honour of the Paddock Tree.
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The issue
Across our rural landscapes, paddock trees stand out as an iconic image, providing shade and shelter for livestock and maintaining the productive capacity of the land. They also provide food, shelter and nesting sites for a large number of birds, bats, insects and small mammals. Whilst many landholders appreciate the benefits that paddock trees bring for productivity and biodiversity we are still loosing these trees at an alarming rate.
The solution
Yass Landcare is involved in new projects with incentives for landholders to protect and replace paddock trees in the landscape through the Yass Habitat Linkages and Saving our Superb Parrot programs. Our experienced Landcare neighbours at Boorowa/Hovells Creek have developed a project which provides a valuable insight into the value of these “eco giants”, how to protect the old and replant to fill the gaps left by earlier losses so the landscape-wide ecology can restore healthy function. Yass Landcare Group has asked if they could show the background and implementation of this project.
Generously, Boorowa/Hovells Creek Landcare with the support of Damon Oliver from Office of Environment and Heritage and Mason Crane from ANU Sustainable Farms hosted a Field Day to share their experiences of creating a paddock tree program to re-establish habitat connections across their Landcare region.
The impact
Best practice for planting new paddock trees, protecting old paddock trees, creating cross property habitat connectivity plans to establish best places to invest in paddock trees were discussed.
All these actions to look after your paddock trees and boost farm biodiversity have multiple benefits including increasing stock fertility, weight gain, wool/milk production, soil health and property value.
The Yass group are now seeking funding to implement a shire wide paddock tree program based on the Hovells Creek Model.
Key facts
- Best practice for planting new paddock trees, protecting old paddock trees, creating cross property habitat connectivity plans
- The Importance of a single paddock tree is often underestimated.
- An individual paddock tree can:
- create shade and shelter for stock during extreme heat, wind and cold;
- draw-up water from deep under the ground, which pastures can then access through shallower roots;
- provide homes and food for birds and insects that help pollinate and remove pest insects; and
- add nutrients to the soil through microorganisms breaking down leaves, branches and seeds.