Empire Project Management is a Sydney-based client-side project management company that has spent nearly a decade delivering exceptional results for some of Australia’s leading organisations from hotels and universities to residential developments and government infrastructure. They are, in their own words, partners in project success.

But behind the boardroom and the building sites, Empire has made a meaningful decision. For every invoice they send, a native tree is planted on their behalf through Fifteen Trees.

It’s a simple idea with a surprisingly powerful impact. Empire Project Management sends a lot of invoices and every single one now puts a tree in the ground, contributing to community tree planting projects that restore native habitat, support local landcare groups and help reduce the carbon footprint of a busy, growing business.

Site 1 | Hunter Valley, NSW | 90 trees 

The Hunter Region Landcare Network brought together 35 volunteers for a remarkable day of community tree planting which included 90 trees courtesy of Empire Project Management.

Before colonisation, a significant portion of this region was covered in Dry Rainforest – a rich, layered ecosystem that the lowland areas have almost entirely lost over the past 200 years. This planting is part of a long-term effort to restore nature and reconnect fragmented patches of native vegetation. Think of it as a biodiversity corridor in the making – one that will link this site back into a broad network of native habitat and accelerate the return of rainforest species that belong here.

Many thanks to sponsors of Fifteen Trees for their support of our project which allowed us to purchase locally indigenous tube-stock for this important rainforest revegetation patch.  The community enjoyed working together to achieve a wonderful result.

Stacy Mail | Coordinator | Lower Hunter Landcare

Wattles, bottlebrushes, river oaks, river red gums, forest red gums, lilly pillies, native frangipanni, tea trees, paperbarks, bush cherry and pittosporums have all been carefully chosen to support ecosystem restoration and give local wildlife the habitat they need to thrive.

And the wildlife here is worth planting for. The Dry Rainforest remnants of the Hunter are home to some extraordinary birds – honeyeaters, fruit doves, pigeons and small birds that live among the under-storey, including the Regent Bowerbird, the mascot of the Hunter Region Landcare Network, and one of Australia’s most spectacular birds. Every tree planted here is a step toward bringing more of them back.

There’s something fitting about a company that builds things for a living choosing to invest in the kind of growth that can’t be rushed — a native tree, planted in Australian soil, doing its work for decades to come.

We also thank the team for the additional funding for tree guards. These guards help protect the new seedlings and gives them protection from grazers, in particular rabbits and kangaroos. Inside the plastic sleeves, the microclimate created protects the seedlings from harsh UV, drifting sand, frost, and wind. Once the seedlings survive their first summer and get the opportunity to develop a strong taproot, their chances of survival skyrockets.

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]>.

Writer – Colleen B. Filippa

With a background in Environmental Science (Melbourne Uni), Colleen is the Founding Director of Fifteen Trees. In 2009, after 20 years in 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.