TREES grow from seeds that spring from a pod, so this National Tree Day, West Gippsland Catchment Management Area is sowing the seed of just how important trees are for catchments with a special podcast that demonstrates the true superpower of trees.
On a picturesque farm just out of Foster, a small patch of remnant bush sits adjacent to paddocks where sheep and cattle graze.
A lone creek trickles through the farm, its banks boggy and eroded due to years of stock grazing.
This creek eventually flows into the world-renowned Corner Inlet Ramsar Site – so what happens in this paddock has an impact on water quality in the inlet.
That’s why the Catchment Management Authority (CMA) team is hard at work planting the next generation of trees next to Old Hat Creek – trees that will work hard to give homes for wildlife and help to keep stabilise banks and keep waterways flowing, ultimately improving water quality downstream in Corner Inlet.
“Trees are a cornerstone of the CMA’s Corner Inlet Flagship project that aims to address water quality risks to the ecological character of the Corner Inlet Ramsar site and connect habitat along the waterways that flow into it,” waterways project officer for West Gippsland CMA Tanya Cowell said.
“Our vision is that by 2040, the waterways of the Corner Inlet Basin will be fringed with diverse and connected corridors of native vegetation, and the land managed to reduce downstream environmental impacts to protect the inlet’s seagrass communities. There are community benefits too – improved raw water quality for drinking and industry, amenity of the landscape and continued access to Victoria’s last sustainable bay and inlet fishery.”
Planting trees is often the last, exciting step of a revegetation project.
On this Foster property, four hectares of weed control and two kilometres of fencing were completed before the mix of 5000 carefully selected shrubs and trees could be put in the ground. Planning for such intricate restoration takes a wealth of knowledge and passionate supporters.
“Putting a tree in the ground is the result of years of planning, and we work with locals who have intimate knowledge and vast experience of growing trees endemic to the Gippsland region,” CMA project delivery manager Matt Bowler said.
“We are lucky that we have a network and community that supports the seed collection, growing and planting process.
“We have great trust that what we plant will grow because they are suited to the soils and the conditions. When you plant a tree, you are doing it for future generations but in South Gippsland, we get to see the results more quickly because trees grow fast. You plant a tree in South Gippsland, you can have a koala in the tree in five years.
Matt and colleague Richard Allen have planted millions of seedlings, which they love seeing grow into forests that will become the next remnant forests as they drive across the catchment.
They learn a lot from each planting project, using lessons learned to help improve future works.
“Linking plantings along waterways in a catchment makes sense to us – it protects the creek and creates linkages for wildlife and tree-loving is infectious,” Matt said.
Matt sees that South Gippsland has a valuable agricultural future with patches of remnant bush and revegetated creeks alongside productive farms that are adding value to the community.
Across 2024-25, Matt, Richie and the project delivery team put in 150,000 carefully sourced and selected plants to enhance and link wetlands and restore rivers.
This number is complemented by many more planted by the amazing partners the CMA works with – including Traditional Owners, Landcare, Trust for Nature, Greening Australia and private landholders.
“Our hope is that more and more farmers and landholders will get on board to plant more trees and link with the property next door,” Matt said.
The Corner Inlet Flagship project is supported by the State Government through the Victorian Waterways Management Program.
West Gippsland CMA is responsible for more than 40,000 kilometres of designated waterways across the region and delivers programs for healthy and resilient catchments.
All these waterways flow to the Victorian coast, discharging through the Gippsland lakes, or directly into Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean.
Find out more about the work CMA does and sign up to e-news for updates via wgcma.vic.gov.au.
Tune into the podcast to join Matt and Rich talk trees and their work on this South Gippsland property.
