PY Timber Warehouse is a business operating out of Seaford, Victoria, whose consideration of their environmental impact is ‘music to our ears’! Providing sustainable timber is a key part of their strategy to contribute to protecting the environment, through offsetting and using resources responsibly to help minimise the organisation’s impact. The team behind PY Timber Warehouse has over fifty years’ experience in the construction industry collectively, putting their customers in reliable hands.

PY Timber Wearhouse is a business that delivers timber construction material Australia-wide while also demonstrating social responsibility right in the community where help is most needed. PY Timber Warehouse provides resources and know-how to community projects to enact their mission to reduce poverty and hunger and enhance health and well-being in the community. And this is exactly what they are doing through their work with St Vincent’s Foundation and St Mary’s House of Welcome.

Reducing our carbon footprint is one of our key goals. We strive to achieve it by saving energy at every step of our processes. From using sensor lights in our warehouse to creating multi-delivery routes that reduce truck-time on the road that results to less emissions. And also supporting projects and initiatives that contribute to the plantation of sustainable forests.

John Psarris | Owner | PY Timber Warehouse

Over the past 4 years, we have planted PY Timber trees on the Mornington Peninsula, the traditional land of the Bunurong / Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nations, with the Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation (MPKC) as part of their Somers Koala Habitat Project (Coolart to Cerberus Biolink). This is a fabulous project to support. With over 70% of landholders confirming their intent to participate in this revegetation project, it is also backed by Mornington Peninsula Shire, Parks Victoria and the Department of Defence. And now with sponsors such as Fifteen Trees and PY Timber Warehouse, this revegetation project has grown by leaps and bounds.

Here’s a few reasons why this project is so important:

• Recent research from Deakin University suggests that the koala population has been negatively impacted by the highly fragmented nature of habitat on the Mornington Peninsula,
• By providing a wildlife corridor biolink it will allow animals including koalas to move safely, to reach vital food resources and help maintain viable populations,
• Without this, koala populations will inevitably continue to decline, become isolated and may face local extinction.

We also thank John and 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.

2025 | Mornington Peninsula, VIC | 500 trees

One of the primary causes of the decline in koalas and other wildlife on the Mornington Peninsula (traditional lands of the Burin’yong Bulluk, a clan of the Bunurong/Boon Wurrung) is habitat loss resulting from land clearing and urban expansion. Research indicates that approximately 70% of koala habitat exists on private land, and the remaining native vegetation is too fragmented to allow safe movement for koalas and other species. By collaborating with landowners and planting indigenous trees and shrubs on private properties, The Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation (MPKC) group is working to restore and expand wildlife habitat, promote landscape connectivity, and help secure a future for native animals.

Some of the species planted included, Messmate, Gums (Snow, Narrow-leaf Pepprmint and Manna), Wattles (Black and Blackwood), Sheokes (Black and Swamp), Swamp Paperbarks, Yellow Hakeas and a variety of Tea-trees. All plants were selected with the relevant Ecological Vegetation Class (EVC) profiles in mind.

On behalf of Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation, I’d like to express our sincere thanks for your valued support in funding trees for our habitat restoration work.

Your support has played a crucial role in helping us reach this point. The continued generosity of organisations like yours enables us to expand this vital work, restoring essential koala habitat and strengthening local biodiversity. We welcome everyone to join us at one of our upcoming planting events.

Dirk Jansen | President | Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation

This Peninsula is home to a huge variety of wildlife including mammals such as Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Swamp Wallabies, Koalas, Echidnas, Sugar Gliders, Microbats, Southern Brown Bandicoots, Swamp Rat, and White-footed Dunnar. Bird species include Laughing Kookaburra, Superb Fairy-wren, Eastern Rosella, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Spotted Pardalote, Black Swan, White-faced Heron, Hoary-headed Grebe, Golden Whistler, Grey Fantail, Brown Thornbill, Little Lorikeet, Blue-billed Duck, Singing, Honeyeater, Bell Miner, White-throated Treecreeper, Australian Owlet-nightjar, Lewin’s Rail, Freckled Duck. And frog species found here include, Common Froglet, Southern Bull Frog, Spotted Marsh Frog, Southern Brown Tree Frog, Verreaux’s Tree Frog and the State-significant Southern Toadlet.

2024 | Mornington Peninsula | 1,000 trees

The trees were planted across numerous properties this year and Balnarring, Somers, Tyabb, Bittern, Pearcedale, Cranbourne, Shoreham, Dromana, Mt Martha district.

These areas are significant as they are known koala habitats, and many have creeks and waterways running through them. Other sites are close to reserves and provide connectivity for wildlife to move safely between larger patches of habitat. Increasing the vegetation on existing and new properties improves tree canopy and ground cover for local wildlife.

The Mornington Peninsula is home to an incredible range of flora and fauna and is one of the most ecologically diverse areas in Victoria.  The popularity to live and visit the Mornington Peninsula is increasing and with that comes land clearing.  MPKC have identified that much of koala habitat is on private land, so by planting these indigenous and locally sourced trees, shrubs and grasses, they are:

1. Protecting and increasing existing habitat for all flora and fauna.
2. Preserving biodiversity.
3. Supporting local communities.

A variety of plants, all indigenous to this region were grown from locally collected material under supervision of the Department of Sustainability & Environment. The list of plants are species important to koalas on the Mornington Peninsula and some of those planted include; Coastal Manna Gum, Swamp Gum, Narrow-leaf Peppermint Gum, Black wattle, Blackwood, Kangaroo thorn, Hop wattle, Sweet wattle, Juniper wattle, Prickly moses, Black Sheoak, Swamp Sheoak and Drooping Sheoak.

The Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation extends heartfelt thanks for your support in purchasing trees and tree guards for our project.

Your support has been instrumental to our efforts, making it possible to continue this project with essential funding and generous contributions from organisations like yours. As we look ahead to next year and this ongoing initiative, we would be delighted to see you at our future tree planting events.

Dirk Jansen | President |  Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation

2023 | Mornington Peninsula, VIC | 1,000 trees

The trees were planted across 3 sites on the Peninsula; Mt Martha, Boneo and Pt Leo over the course of the spring and early summer months by members of MPKC.

These sites were chosen to establish wildlife corridors between fragmented outcrops of small reserves. These corridors are important links that give safe passage to not only local koala populations but also to the local echidnas, possums and kangaroos that live in the district.

Planting trees along creek lines are important to the planting team as these sites tend to be significant habitat for koalas and other wildlife. If the property has existing and mature gum trees then that is a real bonus as they give the koalas shelter, food and safety as they travel across various properties.

Some of the species of trees planted included: Coastal Manna, Swamp Gum, Narrow-leaf Peppermint Gum, Manna or Ribbon Gum. All food sources for koalas. As well as these larger trees, some smaller shrubs such as Hop Wattle, Dogwood, Prickly Tea-tree, and Kangaroo Apple were also planted.

PYTW also sponsored 1,000 tree guards for their seedlings, a vital part of ensuring the best possible growing conditions. By sponsoring trees (and kicking in for guards) John and the team are not only reducing their business impact on the environment, but also enabling regional Landcare Groups to plan and complete vital land management projects.

2022 | Mornington Peninsula | 1,000 trees

This year, PY Timber Warehouse partnered with Fifteen Trees to enable the planting of 1,000 koala habitat trees on the Mornington Peninsula. Their contribution will go a long way towards revegetating lands to provide a safe corridor for our cuddly native fauna. Not only that, but it is also a substantial long-term action which will improve the quality of life for future generations.

Some of the trees planted included; Drooping Sheoak, Coastal Banksia, Messmate, Swamp Gum, Coastal Manna Gum, Narrow-leafed Peppermint, Black Wattle, Blackwood, Scented and Swamp Paperbark and Silky Hakea. All koala favourites!

We thank PY Timber Warehouse for contacting Fifteen Trees and then being ready to ‘jump in’ and purchase immediately. This (and the fact that we had such a wet spring) enabled us to have the trees planted in record time. Shoutout also to Dirk and his team of volunteers from MPKC.

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: Bronwyn Blaiklock.

Bronwyn is a multidisciplinary creative: a poet, a pianist, a reformed perfectionist. She has worked in the creative and education sectors for over 25 years. She also confesses to having an affair with an accordion, but whatever you do, don’t tell the piano. Find Bronwyn here.