Some enthusiastic volunteers from the Southern Dandenongs Community Nursery (SDCN) popped in to get their hands dirty and their hearts full at a recent tree planting event.
Yarra Ranges Council held an annual tree planting event at Birdsland Reserve in Belgrave Heights on Sunday 20 July.
The event ran alongside others across the shire, with one held recently at Badger Creek and Seville as well.
Hundreds of trees, shrubs and groundcovers have now been planted thanks to the efforts of many in the community across the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley.
Volunteers from SDCN Pam and Annette were invited along for the fun at Birdsland, and volunteer Pam said the event was a great opportunity for them to connect with the nature loving community.
“It was just too good an opportunity for us not to put our green vests on and get out there, and it was amazing,” she said.
“It’s an incredible network of people who are so passionate.”
The volunteers from SDCN joined the Yarra Ranges Bushland Crew and Yarra Ranges Volunteer Group in planting a number of seedlings, many of which were grown in the SDCN nursery.
“We’re in a network with other organisations and environmental groups that all supply plants as best they can,” said Pam.
“It was incredibly rewarding to see seedlings grown from our very own nursery being lovingly planted at Birdsland, knowing they’ll grow to support local biodiversity for years to come,” she said.
A spokesperson from Yarra Ranges said each year Council works with Friends of and Landcare groups, and community members to plant indigenous grasses, shrubs and trees that are grown largely the volunteers locally.
“Planting days are a fantastic way for community members to spend time in nature meeting like-minded people whilst enhancing habitat for wildlife and improving Yarra Ranges’ natural environment,” they said.
Pam said it was quite an interesting plant out, as the group used new planting material she hadn’t see before – ‘Biochar’.
Biochar is a charcoal-like substance that’s made by burning organic material from agricultural and forestry wastes, and a biochar facility has recently opened at the Lysterfield waste transfer site in late 2023.
Adding the new substance to the planting mix can improve soil in several ways, from changes in water holding capacity for the soil to reductions in greenhouse gases.
With good weather conditions on the day, the team made short work of the planting, with a kookaburra supervising close by.
Pam has volunteered with SDCN for four years and thoroughly enjoys it, and said she and fellow volunteer Annette work together really well.
“I just am so grateful for her,” said Pam.
SDCN has a number of events coming up on the calendar, from their annual general meeting to celebrating 30 years of being active in the community.
Pam said that anyone is welcome to their weekly sessions on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
“They are just the most beautiful people wanting the best for the environment,” she said.
“We’ll find a job for you, even if you just want to sit down and have coffee.”
Yarra Ranges Council also has a special ‘Tanks for Platypus’ planting day also approaching on Sunday 10 August along Monbulk Creek to improve the health of the creek and support wildlife that live in or near it, including the iconic platypus.
If you’d like to get involved register at https://www.trybooking.com/1416414
