Transforming Bare Hills Into A Luxuriant, Mature & Healthy Native Forest

Greenfleet works with many landholders over an extended period to revegetate vast tracts of land. Battery Creek - a catchment for South Gippsland Water in Victoria - is an example of a site that has been planted over a number of years. Greenfleet has progressively planted trees in the Battery Creek catchment every year from 1999 to 2009. Over eleven years, more than 96,000 trees have been planted at the 39-hectare site as a result of this partnership with South Gippsland Water.

Steve Evans, Managing Director of South Gippsland Water at the time, said: "South Gippsland Water has enjoyed working cooperatively with Greenfleet to progressively plant our Battery Creek catchment property with native vegetation. This project has been invaluable in not only capturing vehicle emissions, but also improving land stability, water quality and increasing biodiversity within the catchment and adjoining land. Lyrebirds are known to be in the surrounding area, so this project is also playing a part in rejoining their fragmented habitat."

A biodiversity study lead by Greenfleet in 2010 study revealed evidence of kangaroos, wallabies and wombats throughout.  Many birds also inhabit the area and it is hoped that in future the elusive Lyrebird will be seen. A rich, biodiverse native forest has grown which is helping to improve water quality in the Battery Creek Catchment area.  Species include a variety of eucalypts, wattles and tea trees native to the area. In addition, the hills have been stabilised and the forest is providing shelter for wildlife and capturing greenhouse gas emissions.

The results of this study will be a "yardstick," against which the results of subsequent surveys will be compared. Future surveys will provide information about the changes of the animals and plants on this site and contribute towards future management decisions.

In 2012, a team of researchers from the Department of Zoology at La Trobe University, lead by Dr Martin Steinbauer, have uncovered a whole new insect species at Battery Creek, Vic. The team of scientists visited the site in early 2012 to survey psyllids (tiny little cicada-like insects). The new species feeds on juvenile leaves of Bog Gum (Eucalyptus kitsoniana) and Manna Gum (E. viminalis). As of 13 February 2013, the Bog gum psyllid (or scientific name Ctenarytaina bipartita) became officially “known to science”.

Location Size

39 ha site near Fish Creek, in South Gippsland, Victoria

Planting Dates

1999 - 2009

Species

  1. Acacia dealbata
  2. Acacia melanoxylon
  3. Acacia stricta
  4. Acacia mucronata
  5. Acacia verticillata
  6. Allocasuarina paluadosa
  7. Cassinia arculeata
  8. Eucalyptus globulus
  9. Eucalyptus obliqua
  10. Eucalyptus radiata
  11. Eucalyptus regnans
  12. Eucalyptus ovata
  13. Eucalyptus strzeleckii
  14. Hedycardia angustifolia
  15. Kunzea ericoides
  16. Leptospermum continentale
  17. Leptospermum lanigerium
  18. Melaleuca ericafolia
  19. Melaleuca squarrosa
  20. Olearia lirata
  21. Pomaderris aspera
  22. Prostanthera lasianthos

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