A mighty team effort on a challenging cold and wet Saturday May morning with snow on the nearby hills, meant the crew from Landcare, plus members of the public planted 400 plants, side by side with the amazing team from GJ Gardner Homes Wodonga between the new Kiewa River trail and the Kiewa River to help future-proof the region and provide vital habitat to local wildlife. The sun finally made an appearance, turning it into a very pleasant day for the 17 eco-warriors who attended, and with all plants & trees planted in 3 hours, it truly was a great group effort!

A further 100 were then planted by the Mt Beauty High School VCAL students a few weeks later, bringing the total plants in the ground from the GJ Gardener Wodonga led project to a whopping 500!! But wait…there’s more!

Later that month a further 420 plants were planted along the Simmonds Creek in Tawonga South by the students from the Bogong School Camp. With a final 400 plants ordered for delivery in August, they were planted further along the Kiewa River trail.

Thank you to GJG and Fifteen Trees for your support with these projects. It has made a tremendous positive impact on our local environment.

John Gibbons | Landcare Coordinator | West Kiewa Landcare

 

G.J. Gardner Homes has been supporting our community tree planting projects since 2013, and in that time, we have planted over 75,000 trees across Victoria and Tasmania due to their generous support. That impressive number comes because G.J. Gardner plants 15 native trees for every home it builds in Tasmania and Victoria.

G.J. Gardner prides itself on being a practical, hands-on family affair, and in past years staff have happily gone out with their local community to plant their trees themselves. To keep the local connection, all trees are planted near the offices managing the builds, between 200-900 trees for every district. Local Landcare groups determine the best tree species for the site. The seedlings themselves are often grown by local independent nurseries who have collected seed from the region by hand (with the proper licensing, of course). The sites that have been planted have included nature reserves, parklands, roadsides, school grounds, riverbanks & rural properties.

Adam and Simone Gregor and from G.J. Gardner Homes Wodonga are generous supporters of local community groups, and their tree planting projects. This year Adam and his team have purchased 1,320 trees with the breakdown of 500 planted at Peeble Beach Extension in May, 400 at Extension Loop in August, and 420 along Simmonds Creek from May – August, all picturesque parts of the Kiewa River region.

G.J. Gardner’s core business is building homes. Safe, secure places for families to grow and thrive for many years to come. We love that alongside this G.J. Gardner is planting forests, which is very much the same thing; safe, secure places for fauna and flora to grow and thrive for many years to come.

If you are also interested in how your business and Fifteen Trees could work together, contact Belinda at <[email protected]> and ask for a no obligation proposal.

Writer Lou Ridsdale

She is a big-minded green thumb, Earth Lover, big-hearted nature freak plus a savvy media and horticulture expert, who passionately believes that everyone can lead a more nourishing and sustainable life. Her passion for education + communication being the most empowering tool for change is reflected in her setting up her own digital/comms agency Hey Hoe Let’s Grow Socials. She also founded Food Is Free Inc. a unique grassroots food security platform specialising in food security education. She fell in love with trees after reading The Magic Faraway Tree as a child.

You can find Lou here