THE NEXT GENERATION OF PADDOCK TREES

Since 2016, our Paddock Tree Project has helped heal the land by restoring the scattered trees that are synonymous with the low rainfall grazing country in the northern and eastern Mount Lofty Ranges.

The primary aim of the project is to provide critical habitat for a range of ground-foraging woodland bird species whose numbers have declined significantly in the region in the past ten years, with some species having already disappeared from other parts of the Adelaide Hills. This coincides with the decline of paddock trees, which are vital to the health of Australian farming landscapes.

Paddock trees provide shelter and shade for livestock, improve soil and water retention, reduce salinity, minimise erosion and increase biodiversity. These trees are declining because of poor health, old age and fire, and with grazing pressure, the next generation of paddock trees cannot make it to maturity. To ensure these trees continue to provide biodiversity and production benefits, extensive areas of habitat — on a scale of thousands of hectares — are being planted with scattered trees through this project.

LEFT: A surviving paddock tree watches over the next generation.

ABOVE RIGHT: Jono and Kirby with their daughter Sahara at their Adelaide Hills property.

We thank the Crawford family, and all Paddock Tree Project landholders, for their commitment to improving the health of their farmland where the next generation of paddock trees that have been planted can continue to thrive for decades to come.

The Paddock Tree Project has focused on properties where populations of target bird species still exist. Partnering with landholders to plant scattered trees at low density is a relatively small intervention to reinstate a critical habitat feature and we have worked across 13,562 hectares of land. Over the course of the project we planted and guarded 28,141 paddock trees across 125 properties in the Mount Lofty Ranges.

Stuart Gonda joined Trees For Life as Paddock Tree Project Coordinator in 2021. After reaching out to interested landholders, Stuart set out to survey the farmland and get to work on the next phase of the project. He recently caught up with the Crawford family — Jonathan (Jono), his wife Kirby and their daughter Sahara — on their 500 acre property in the Adelaide Hills to share their experience with the project. Stuart: What motivated you to get involved in the project and how did you hear about it? Jono: My mother has been involved in conservation for a long time. We’ve got our own tree plantings on the property which we’ve done before and we did a trial with the Paddock Tree Project in about 2016, as they were trialling different guards to see how they went with different livestock. Following on from the 2019 bushfires we were keen to remediate parts that were burnt as were a majority of the district.

Stuart: As a farmer what do you see as the benefits of having those trees on your land? Jono: Obviously as protection of stock with calving and lambing and so forth, but generally the biodiversity that it brings. As landholders we know that we have to look after the land we have, our livelihood comes from it and the more we look after it the better it will be and hopefully it will be in a better condition for the next generation. Stuart: As a parent of four kids, what does it mean to you to have these trees on your property and to be looking after these native aspects going forward? Jono: I think it’s really important as I’ve understood from both my parents and grandparents to look after the land that we are lucky enough to be a custodian of. I want to make sure we keep doing that for our children and for them to understand the importance of that and be excited and involved in doing similar projects going forward. We’ve planted a lot of trees on the property prior to the Paddock Tree Project and they understand it, they learn about it a lot at school and we talk about it a lot at home and in our wider family.

I’d add to that, that the benefit of the trees we’ve planted in the most recent season of the Paddock Tree Project will be of greater benefit to our kids in their lifetimes rather than in mine. Obviously the best time to plant a tree is ten years ago, or yesterday and the second best time is right now.

Stuart: I’m interested to know about the impact the project has had in the community, have you noticed the paddock trees elsewhere or had any discussions with neighbours or others in the area? Jono: Absolutely ... particularly following on after the bushfires. Our region was devastated, as were many in Australia. It was pretty tough with the loss of biodiversity and of course trees. I think this has been a really positive thing to get the community involved in rehabilitating and helping our environment to recover but also from a community standpoint it was pretty hard on a lot of people physically and mentally — it’s been a really positive thing for them to build on. You certainly see the guards around as they stand out around the district, also seeing the signage on fences it’s a great thing.

My mother has been involved in conservation for a long time.

Stuart: I think for myself as the coordinator of the project it’s been really rewarding to be able to connect landholders and make a continuous belt of paddock trees. I know that at least for the next generation those paddock trees will grow and connect up areas as well. It has been very satisfying and I’m very thankful the landholders have come on board and supported the project. Jono: I talk about it often with my neighbours and have had a lot enquiries from a lot of other landholders in the area and how they might be able to get involved. Obviously it’s got limited funding … and hopefully you’ll get more funding as there’s an appetite around the district to keep this important project going.

Stuart: I agree, and I’ll just touch on something you said before as well in the recruitment phase of the project. I often asked landholders about their experience in the Cudlee Creek bushfires and it was obviously a very stressful and emotional time for a lot of people. One of the comments that was made was that you know you can get insurance for a burnt shed, you can get some help putting up fences again — I think Blaze Aid did an amazing job with that — but there is no way of getting back all those old trees. There were so many that were lost so to be able to address that for landholders has been a privilege for me. Jono: A lot of big significant trees were lost. Our property was affected by the fires but we were very fortunate. We lost about 70 acres but didn’t lose any livestock, no one was injured or hurt and we lost a few fences — but that was nothing compared to the tragedies that others suffered. We did lose some big trees, particularly on the western side where we have put some trees in to replace them. It’s been great to be able to have another generation coming through. It’ll take a long time for them to reach that height — they’ll probably be a couple hundred years old at that point — but we’ve got to start somewhere.

Stuart: I think a few more seasons like this and they’ll get up there pretty quickly! It’s been a great year to do it. As a participant in the project how do you think it went in terms of organisation? I think there were 350 [trees planted] across your property. How did it go? Jono: It went well! I guess we were just anxious to get them in the ground prior to the good rain coming through, in terms of the logistics, the materials coming out, the contractors coming out that was all very seamless. Once they started planting they were ripping into it and every night when I had come home or gone out into the paddock to see the progress was really exciting. One of my boys came home from boarding school over the weekend and they were anxious to see how it had progressed during the week so yeah, it was wonderful. No complaints about the project or the process at all, how can you complain about something you were given as well? The season as well has been fantastic and we couldn’t have hoped for better rainfall at this stage in the year so a great start for those trees for sure.

Stuart: As you probably know the project targets properties where we know there are birds, ground foraging woodland birds in particular. So what we are trying to do is ensure habitat for those birds in the future by securing the next generation of trees — so that’s part of the reason we approached you to work on your property. Is it important for you to have that birdlife around? What does that mean for you? Jono: It absolutely is! We’re very lucky here, sitting out in the garden we’ve got a great suite of little wrens around the house and on the property. We think it’s important and … the trees are helpful for our cattle and sheep but obviously for the protection for birds and all the other animals that live there and through those corridors as well. Sitting out on the balcony and watching wedge-tailed eagles, there’s just a lot of bird life out there. 

RIGHT: Brown treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus) in a tree hollow.

BELOW: Jono (left) catches Stuart (right) up on the progress of the paddock trees on their Adelaide Hills property.

I think for myself as the coordinator of the project it’s been really rewarding to be able to connect landholders and make a continuous belt of paddock trees.

We think it’s important and … the trees are helpful for our cattle and sheep but obviously for the protection for birds and all the other animals that live there and through those corridors as well.

This is a partnership project, with on-ground work delivered by Trees For Life, guided by a Coordination Committee, with members from Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board and Department for Environment and Water. Planting plans are developed in close consultation with landholders. Funding has been provided by the state and federal governments.

You’ll find more information in our Paddock Tree Project Impact Report 2016-2022 on our website. We are currently seeking further funding to continue the Paddock Tree Project. Please contact Amelia Hurren, Bush For Life Manager, at ameliah@treesforlife.org.au for more information.