This August we need your help to purchase 1500 trees for our
East Gippsland Bushfire Appeal
Tree $4.80 + guard $3.50 = $8.30
750 trees X 2 sites = 1,500 trees
Current status (Monday 17th August 2020) = 380 trees
This past summer was one of the most challenging Australian seasons ever and as winter settles in, many people are feeling a sadness that’s a little hard to articulate. It’s something that is felt to a greater or lesser degree as the skies turned red, the landscapes burnt and the wildlife perished.
Thank you to @photoholgic for this image.
There are words for this feeling now; eco-sadness, eco-anxiety, ecological grief, solastalgia. The feeling that the world is disappearing, the knowledge that humans are the cause, the devastating loss of place, and the overwhelming sense of powerlessness.
But it is not all desolation. When the very land beneath our feet is shifting, the the stability of true connection to other humans is needed more than ever. Collective grief can lead to collective action. And where there is action, there is always hope.
Resident wombat family.
Here at Fifteen Trees, despite our grief for the changes all around us. There are incredible people and communities doing wonderful things for our natural environment. Doing something, anything, helps channel that sadness into positive and meaningful action.
You can be a part of this grass-roots bush recovery!
Right now there is movement into action in supporting two fire affected organic garlic farms in East Gippsland VIC. In Covid19 times, food security has never been so important. And secure organic food (untainted by pesticides and herbicides) surely is something worthwhile supporting. It is so important to be able to buy Australian garlic and not be limited to overseas varieties on the shelves.
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Organic & biodynamic farmers have been heavily impacted by the bushfires across many areas of south east Australia. They need our help to revegetate and restore native bushland that was damaged by the January fires.
Blue Sky Organics is a family venture located in the East Gippsland located on the Murrindal River, VIC. Their small team consists of Madeline, Talsy, Jaklan, parents Chris and Christine Watts and grandparent Ian Watts.
Ontos Farm is run by Fred Koch, Neroli Hadfield and Sooyra at W Tree, 25 kms north of Buchan in East Gippsland. They grow a wide range of produce on the land. The January fires affected the property to the point that there is no garlic to sell this year.
Fifteen Trees is working with ORICoop (Organic Regenerative Investment Cooperative) to raise the funds needed to purchase 750 trees (+ tree guards) for both farms. The trees will be indigenous to the district and sourced from independent plant nurseries. At both farms, the trees will be planted along creek banks to restore burnt vegetation. These creek banks are a priority as the trees will stabilise the banks (roots hold the soil together), provide habitat to native wildlife and help keep the creek water clean (so important for down stream ecology).
A tree guard helps protect the new seedling and gives it a protection from grazers, in particular rabbits and kangaroos. Inside the plastic sleeves, a microclimate helps protect them from harsh UV, drifting sand, frost, and wind. Once the seedlings survive their first summer and get the opportunity to develop a strong tap-root, their chances of survival skyrockets.
Tree $4.80 + guard $3.50 = $8.30
750 trees X 2 sites = 1,500 trees
Current status (Monday 10th August 2020) = 318 trees
Once the trees have been planted, this blogpost will be updated with photos and you will be sent the link.
You can support by:
- Sharing this page,
- Purchasing trees,
- Gathering a few friends to collectively purchase trees as a side-fundraiser (we can promote too, so ensure you tag us on Facebook (15trees), Insta (15.trees), Twitter (fifteen_treesAU) and LinkedIn (ColleenFilippa).
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Words – Colleen Filippa and Sarah Hart.
Hi Fifteen Trees supporters!
My name is Christine Watts from Blue Sky Organics, Murrindal. (Near Buchan.) In January, fires raged through our farm which devastated our bush, farmland and wildlife. And broke our hearts. For us, the most devastating and heartbreaking part was the wildlife. We searched for weeks, day and night, and found very little alive. As registered wildlife foster carers, to know that as the bush burned there was nothing we could do to protect them… there just are no words. Wombats are our wildlife of choice. A big part of why we farm organically is that we wish to work with Mother Nature and her magnificent creatures.
Before the fires, we had pockets of significant and gorgeous cool temperate rain forest vegetation communities, gullies and creeks.
We wish to start the regeneration process on the first flat. The bush up the back has not come back at all yet. We are still hopeful. We will not re-plant there as it is rocky and mountainous. Nature is going to have to do her own thing there. I would love people to understand that wildlife need us to care, and help Mother Nature regenerate the land. That by participating in community projects and generating a vibe of “we can do this together”, we create much needed hope and faith that things will get better. That we will all get through these tumultuous times that we collectively face, and that connecting with Mother Nature is a great place to start. Chris and I would like to thank the volunteers who have so graciously and kindly supported us so far.
And a huge thank you to those who are sponsoring trees for us. Please know that we deeply appreciate your support. We have just had 100ml of amazing rain, which is perfect for planting the trees, shrubs and grasses for regeneration. And so it is with the wonderful support of Fifteen Trees that we will not only plant trees, shrubs and grasses for the wildlife, the land and longevity, but the hope and faith that we will all get through these challenging times.
With love and gratitude, Christine and Chris