Some of our tree planting partners are quietly racking up whole forests. G.J. Gardner Homes is one of our strongest supporters, having planted 56,000 trees with us over the past 8 years. That impressive number comes as a result of G.J. Gardner planting 15 trees for every home it builds in Tasmania and Victoria. And as a well-established building company with a reputation for quality and reliability, it is a popular choice.

G.J. Gardner prides itself on being a practical, hands-on family affair, and in past years staff have happily got down and dirty and planted their trees themselves. This year, of course, everything is a bit different, and volunteer groups are managing the actual roots-in-ground part of the process with small numbers of their own volunteers. 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 work out the best trees for the job – usually indigenous natives – and source the seedlings. 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).

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.

Main focus for tree planing this year was Hopkins Falls public viewing area, which is an area managed by the Hopkins Falls Landcare Group and Moyne Shire Council.  This is a popular tourist attraction and during COVID-19 was a popular escape for city dwellers to visit and walk around the area to the base of the Falls. Winter also sees an increase flow at the Falls.

Trees were planted in an area above Hopkins Falls on the riverbanks of the Hopkins River with a continued effort to increase wildlife habitat with focus on trees popular with koala populations. Given our mild winter and early spring rain I’m sure we will have lots of success with trees.

We would like to thank Fifteen Trees who are a delight to work with, always available to assist where necessary and G. J. Gardner Homes for their generous contribution of providing trees for our area, we look forward to working with you into the future.

Jane O’Beirne – Member – Hopkins Falls Landcare Group

 

Andrew Womersley from G.J. Gardner Homes Warnambool is a generous supporter of local community groups and their tree planting projects. This year Andrew and his team purchased 255 native plants trees for the surroundings of the Hopkins Falls Landcare Group and Moyne Shire Council.

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

Writer – Sarah Hart.

Sarah is an artist whose passions include the stories and experiences of women and narrative driven creative work. Her aim is to delight, to reveal glimpses of everyday beauty, and to celebrate flights of the ordinary. Sarah works across a range of media, with an abiding interest in pen and ink, mixed media and the human form. You can find Sarah here.