Limestone Coast Paddock Tree Project

Paddock trees are an icon of the Australian landscape and provide a number of significant benefits to sustainable agriculture, including shade and shelter for stock and carbon sequestration.

Trees For Life is offering landholders the opportunity to plant new paddock trees and protect existing trees across the south-east of South Australia.

Why is it important?

Recent research has shown¹ that paddock trees are declining in the south-east region and there’s a significant lack of recruitment of a new generation. The ‘Limestone Coast Paddock Tree Project’ aims to create a new generation of paddock trees in the region by enabling landholders to plant new native trees, and to apply best practice and cost-effective methods of sustainable agriculture to preserve existing trees.

Who can help?

Landholders with sheep and cattle properties who are interested in planting new trees and protecting existing trees on their property. Trees For Life can provide seedlings, guards, and fencing materials to participating landholders.

While we encourage participating landholders to plant and protect their paddock trees, assistance will be available to some landholders who require a bit of extra help.

The project will run until October 2022, with plantings to be undertaken in May and June 2021 and 2022.

If you’re interested in taking part in the Limestone Coast Paddock Tree Project, please read the FAQ document and complete an expression of interest form. Contact Kelsey Bennett for more information on 08 8406 0500 or via email.

This project is supported by the Limestone Coast Landscape Board in partnership with Trees For Life, BirdLife Australia and Zoos SA through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

¹ Koch 2019, ‘Habitat Extent Mapping and Rates of Habitat Change for the 2003 to 2017 period Across Feeding and Nesting Resources for the South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo’, report prepared for the South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Recovery Team

Bushfire Recovery Paddock Tree Project

This project is establishing the next generation of paddock trees in the area affected by the Cudlee Creek bushfire, providing critical habitat for many woodland bird species whose numbers are declining.

We’ve planted over 17,000 scattered paddock trees in the eastern Mount Lofty Ranges. Part of our project area was burnt in the Cudlee Creek Bushfire, which affected over 400 previously planted saplings and many long-standing paddock trees.

Why the need for scattered paddock trees?

Scattered trees in sheep grazing landscapes provide a range of environmental and production benefits. They provide shade and shelter for stock, improve soil condition and invertebrate diversity.

Paddock Trees are also vital to safeguard the long-term survival of a number of threatened woodland bird species including the Diamond Firetail, Red-rumped Parrot and Red-capped Robin. Woodland bird numbers have declined significantly in the past 10 years, with some disappearing from the Adelaide Hills altogether.

The Bushfire Recovery Paddock Tree Project will replace previously planted paddock trees that didn’t survive the fire. We’re working with people living on the land to establish the next generation of eucalypts, sheoaks, acacias and native pines. We carry out the planting and guarding of the trees at no cost to the grazier, and they commit to caring for the trees into the future. We will design a planting plan on each property after performing field surveys and mapping, in consultation with the landholder.

Who should apply?

• Your property is more than 30 hectares and located in the eastern part of the Cudlee Creek fire scar – see map here
• If your planting area was burnt in the fire (we’ll only be working on fire-affected parts of the property)
• If your property has extensive, low-intensity sheep grazing
• If you’ll work with us to help make sure the trees survive and thrive
• If we’re able to determine that populations of the target bird species occur nearby, including: Diamond Firetail, Brown Treecreeper, Red-rumped Parrot, Hooded Robin and Red-capped Robin.

If you're thinking of registering your interest, read more in our project flyer and complete and return a registration of interest form. For more detailed information about the project read more in our information booklet. Contact the Bushfire Recovery Paddock Tree Project team for more information on 08 8406 0500 or via email.

This project is supported by the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board through funding from the Australian Government.