Long-term supporters of our mission at Fifteen Trees, the wonderful Brigidine Sisters have once again stepped forward to help us green the landscape. Through their generosity, we’ve been able to plant 1,000 native trees, shrubs, and grasses across Victoria.
At the heart of every nunnery is, of course, charity. For the Brigidine Sisters, this spirit of giving has always extended far beyond their own community. Their philanthropy ripples outwards, reaching a wide range of organisations who, like us, are fortunate to benefit from their kindness and vision for a better world.
This year, the Sisters’ trees have found new homes at two Victorian sites:
Axe Creek – 450 trees planted.
Campaspe Valley – 550 trees planted.
These plantings will provide shelter and food for native wildlife, improve soil health, and contribute to restoring local biodiversity.
We are deeply grateful to the Brigidine Sisters for their steadfast support. Their care for both people and planet is inspiring, and thanks to them, the landscapes of Axe Creek and Campaspe Valley are now greener, and healthier.
The planting site is on Dja Dja Wurrung land, known as Djandak (Country) with a Trust for Nature covenant to preserve it in perpetuity. Both the Campaspe River and Mosquito Creek run across the property.
Due to long-term grazing the understory had been degraded with very little native grass, native shrubs or flowers remaining. The beautiful big old eucalypts are intact though, close to the river there are the iconic River Red Gums and higher up away from the river it is mainly Grey Box, many of which are large and very old with numerous hollows. Three are registered ‘scar trees’.
The landholders long term project is to remove the sheep, progressively eradicate the weeds and introduced grasses and plant indigenous grasses and shrubs in their place. Kangaroo grass, wallaby grass and others, wattle varieties, Austral indigo, various native daisies, hop bush, hakea and weeping she-oaks are some of the species that have been reintroduced.
We are blessed with a wide range of wildlife on the property, dominated by lots of kangaroos, there are also wallabies, wombats, echidnas, platypus, possums, gliders a wonderful array of birds and reptiles. Some of the more interesting examples are the Tawney Frogmouth, Powerful owl, Azure Kingfisher, Spotted Pardalote, Tree Creeper, Robin Redbreast and many others.
We hope to see more species as the environment is restored
Thank you to everyone who supported this project.
Bill Morrissey & Jo Fischer| Members | Axe Creek Landcare
Due to the soil conditions and the prevalence of kangaroos on the property there were considerable preparations that the planting group needed to undertake before planting to achieve a reasonable success rate. First, weeds were removed, then the area was fenced, and finally holes were dug (30 to 40 cm) which were filled with compost and then water. This method helps counter the heavy black clay of the area.
Thank you for our trees. Over the coming years, they will offer habitat for our beautiful birdlife.
Phillip Don | Facilitator | Campaspe Valley Landcare Network
The area is home to a variety of native birdlife, including Little Corellas, Cockatoos, Musk Lorikeets, Superb Fairywrens, Plumed Honeyeaters, Spotted Pardalotes and the well known Magpies and kookaburras. A chorus-line of songs and colour!
If you would like to know more about sponsoring community tree planting projects and how we can assist you in becoming a more sustainable business, please contact Colleen at <[email protected]> or if you’d like to simply purchase some trees ($9.65ea) for us to plant on your behalf, follow this link.
Writer: Colleen B. Filippa
With a background in Environmental Science, Colleen is the Founding Director of Fifteen Trees. In 2009, after 20 years in primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions, Colleen left the classroom to start the company. Fifteen Trees is a social enterprise assisting individuals and companies to reduce their carbon footprint by supporting community groups such as Landcare, schools and environmental networks.
