Yass Landcare Group

Yass Landcare Paddock Tree milestone

4 years of rolling out Paddock Tree guards with Climate Ready Eucalyptus

Yass Landcare Paddock Tree milestone

4 years of rolling out Paddock Tree guards with Climate Ready Eucalyptus

Community Participation

The issue

The Yass Landcare Group has completed four years of managing their signature Paddock Tree project.  Funds to purchase weld mesh for either the sheep or cattle height tree guards has come from Yass SE LLS team for the the last four years.  Funding was reduce in 2023 thus the Yass Landcare group will have to seek other funding if this project if it is to continue past 2023.

The solution

Jeremy Wilson and his long term partner Kate have been the key drivers behind the Yass Paddock Tree project.  Jeremy estimates mesh qualities to be ordered and negotiates with potential suppliers for the best Landcare price.  Jeremy is very much hands on in the roll-out of materials for this project and has learnt over the years to use machinery rather than muscle power.  A planting package is provided with each tree guard and includes a locally grown climate ready Eucalyptus grown by the Yass Landcare Community Nursery volunteers.

Landholders participating in this project provide a co-contribuation of $15 for each sheep height guard and $20 for each cattle height guard.  The Landholder co-contributions enabled more tree guard packages to be provided under this project.    

The impact

Since 2020 over 1600 paddock tree guards and Eucalyptus planting packages have been planted across the Yass landscape.  The Paddock tree project is often taken up by Landholders who have major gaps between mature paddock trees.  Some of the benefits that encourage Landholder to participate in this project includes:

  • They provide shelter and shade for livestock
  • They encourage native pollinators and species that provide natural insect control
  • They improve water quality by lowering the water table
  • They help to slow down damaging winds and reduce erosion.
  • They provide multiple species with important sources of food, such as nectar, sap and foliage for insects
  • As they age, they provide nesting hollows and perching places for birds, gliders and bats.
  • They provide stepping stones for wildlife across the landscape.

 

Learnings

The use of machinery eg bobcat to handle heavey weldmesh rolls is vital

Paddock Trees are a way to encourage landholders resistant to large scale native plantings - to consider this low impact option of introducing new biodiverse vegetation into their paddocks.

Author: Kathryn McGuirk

Key facts

  • Metal protection of 1600 Climate Ready Eucalyptus since 2020
  • The metal tree guards are reusable for other trees once the Eucalypus is established
  • This project is building stepping stones across an often baren landscape