Reeds Consulting are experts in Land Surveying, Civil Engineering, Planning and Development Consulting. As accredited service providers to VicRoads, water boards, municipal councils and various infrastructure companies, they have helped advance the ongoing growth and development of Victorian communities since 1958. In their Environmental Policy, Reeds recognises that many of their activities, services and products may cause impact with the environment. As such, they employ an environmental officer and regularly review their environmental objectives to ensure these impacts are addressed.

And now they are looking beyond the office and worksites to support community tree planting projects with Fifteen Trees

Reeds Consulting offers services in the professional fields of Land Development, including, Surveying, Civil Engineering and Town Planning. Reeds Consulting has committed to implementing measures to minimise the impact on the environment resulting from the activities that Reeds controls and can influence. With the invaluable assistance of Fifteen Trees we have met this commitment and look forward to continuing the contribution into the future.

Alba Zeleznik | Quality, Health, Safety and Environment Coordinator | Reeds Consulting

Red Hills, VIC | 500 trees | 2023

On a cool but sunny Sunday in September, a number of personal from Reeds Consulting joined Fifteen Trees and the Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation to help the local community plant 500 trees (all purchased by Reeds). The Red Hill site on the Mornington Peninsula, Monmar and is the traditional land of the Bunurong / Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nations, was chosen to establish a wildlife corridor between fragmented outcrops of small  reserves. These corridors are important links that give safe passage to not only local koala population but also to the local echidnas, possums and kangaroos that live in the district.

Main Creek runs along the back of the property and creek lines tend to be significant habitat for koalas and other wildlife. This property has a few existing and mature gum trees and the property owner is keen to connect existing vegetation on his property and his neighbour’s properties to increase tree canopy and ground cover for local wildlife.

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.

The Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation would like to thank Reeds Consulting for purchasing trees on behalf of our project and for joining us at our tree planting event on Sunday 10^th September.

Thank you for being a part of this project which would not be possible without your generous contribution. We are now planning our fourth year of a multi year project and would love to see you at our tree planting events in the future.

Dirk Jansen | President |  MPKC

Westgate Park, VIC | 250 trees | 2022

On Wednesday 13th July, 3 staff members from Reeds gathered to put their shoulder to the wheel in a different way to their usual daily workloads – to participate in a group tree planting morning at the beautiful Westgate Park. Working alongside volunteers from Westgate Biodiversity, 250 native plants went into the ground. The plants were mostly Chocolate Lily (Dichopogon strictus) which gets its name from its chocolate scented flowers. This bush tucker was once prolific in the grassy woodlands of Port Melbourne and so it was wonderful to plant out a field of them. A healthy ecosystem needs not only tall trees, but also importantly the smaller shrubs and ground covers such as the Chocolate Lily.

Bili Nursery & Landcare Inc. who manage Westgate Park, is a community-based not-for-profit organisation. They grow and sell locally indigenous plants and are transforming Westgate Park into a natural, bush-like place for people to enjoy. Bili help enhance and protect the natural environment and its biodiversity in the Sand-belt region of Melbourne. It is a pleasure to be able to support them.

Mt Martha, VIC | 250 trees | 2022

Reed’s remaining trees were planted on Sunday July 31st, National Tree Day (NTD) by the Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation (MPKC) under the iconic chairlift at Mt Martha. Around 40 volunteers from the surrounding community attended the morning’s event. The trees were a mixture of species indigenous to the district and consisted of sheoaks, banksia, messmates, gums, paperbarks, hakeas and wattles. MPKC ensured a selection of koala habitat trees such as Manna Gums and Narrow-leafed Peppermint, were included.

The Somers Koala Habitat Project (Coolart to Cerberus Biolink) is a wonderful 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 Reeds Consulting, this revegetation project is growing by leaps and bounds.

Why is 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.

Activities such as tree planting days, not only get people out into the great outdoors but also bring about a sense of purpose and pride when they achieve a mighty feat such as putting trees in the ground together. Not to mention the added bonus of group participation and physical exercise.

Thank you to Reeds for initiating this partnership between Reeds and Fifteen Trees. The end result are very happy community groups (Westgate Biodiversity and MPKC), both consisting of many dedicated volunteers who put many hours into improving the status of their local environments.

Writer: Colleen 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.