Seeds, soil and sweat: 2021 Planting Update

Ryan Borrett

Date

September 2021

Carbon Neutral is very proud to have finished the planting of 686 hectares of biodiverse mixed species woodland in 2021. Across three properties in WA’s northern wheatbelt that sum to an area of about 1000 football fields, we planted trees and shrubs from 11 genera, comprising 62 different species.

Year upon year, these seeds and seedlings will become vital animal habitat, and food sources, restore the soil, and capture carbon emissions from the atmosphere to become their roots, stems, and leaves. This establishment is the kick-starting of a long process of reforestation.

Planting took place in our Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor, a reforestation project aiming to create a 200km corridor of native vegetation on degraded land. We’re partnered with hundreds of businesses and organisations to plant trees in the Corridor to provide nature-based climate solutions.

This year’s planting season was helped by the big rains brought by Tropical Cyclone Seroja. The opportunity to plant on moist ground was seized, giving the seeds and seedlings the best chance of establishment.

Planting of seedlings into direct-seeded lines at Wilton Wells.

Planting at our Red Plains property comprised just shy of 500 hectares on a mix of clay, gravel, and rocky soils that required different and targeted restoration planning. Our planting team has a deep knowledge of the landscape and how to restore it to a thriving woodland ecosystem.

At all planting areas, a mix of both seeds and seedlings are planted. Longer-living overstory species like eucalypt and malaleuca can find it difficult to regenerate by seed, and so were raised as seedlings in the nearby Parnells Nursery in Tincurrin. Carbon Neutral has developed successful direct-seeding methods over the last 20 years for many species planted as seed.

Seedlings were raised in Parnells Nursery before planting for some longer-lived overstory species.

The Wilton Wells and Hillview properties had extensive planting in 2020, and so less planting occurred in 2021. Insect and weed monitoring will be ongoing as the vegetation continues to establish in the coming years.

We’re always looking for ways to improve and build on our planting approaches, and this year was no different. Different site preparations and seed mix combinations were trialled with the aim of getting the best survival rates through the intense heat of the WA summer.

We’re looking forward to planting even more trees in 2022!