Clarence Natural Areas Newsletter
Winter Edition 2014
Editor Chris Johns; Clarence City Council
Hello and welcome to the inaugural edition of Swift Chatter. It is intended that the newsletter will be
‘published quarterly’ and will provide tips for Natural Area groups; news from working bees, from
Council, local community and other information from stakeholders.
I would love to include any stories from your group or issues you may
wish to share with your fellow Land and Coast Carers; send to
[email protected]
SWIFT TIP
It’s planting time! Here is a tip that you may find useful.
TO BAG OR NOT TO BAG?
Bagging plants in revegetation sites is the usual practice, and in most cases, this is best practice.
What advantages does this give our plants?
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Protection from browsing animals
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Protection from excessive wind
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Increase in humidity
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Visibility
We often place mulch or mulch mats on the ground when bagging, considered to be the ideal
method. This gives the added advantages of:
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Retention of soil moisture
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Suppression of weeds
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The option of chemical weed control, as all parts of the young plant are protected from off
target spray damage.
This all sounds great in theory, but if only life was that simple! So what are the disadvantages?
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Incorrectly tensioned bags can cause major losses through the creation of mini hot-houses that
cook the plants in hot dry conditions. Keep the tops open and tight by ramming the stakes at a
slight angle away from the vertical.
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Sometimes the plants are too visible, and get stolen!
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When conditions are very dry, mulch/mats can have a negative impact on soil moisture as it
takes a lot of rain to penetrate the layer. In the long term this can lead to shallow root systems
and vulnerability to wind damage.
Pollution, both visual and physical. Don’t forget to regularly check the site. Remove bags from
dead plants and when plants are well established.
Weak sappy growth. Browsing animals love this!
Cost. For every plant that’s bagged, staked and mulched, you could be planting up to 3 plants.
There’s also a saving on time and maintenance.
As with all our conservation endeavours, site assessment is the key.
A quick case study from Southern Beaches Coast Care
An area of dunes was burnt by fire at Carlton Beach. We had little funds at the time but SCAT and
PWS supported us with money. We decided that lots of plants out- weighed a few bagged ones. It is
a dry area but we do have some wind protection. We waited until there was some regrowth of
grasses for the browsing animals to feed on: they prefer that to our plants. Then we replanted the
site: no water was given.
We did lose a few plants from vandalism and dry conditions but had incredible success because of
the sheer number of survivors. These plants have proven to become well adapted to the harsh
conditions.
COUNCIL NEWS
RAP WRAP
Clarence City Councils Reserve Activity Plans (RAP’s) are set to become the most important guiding
document for directing Natural Area Volunteer groups and for Councils actions within reserves. They
are very useful to plan your working bees and to use when applying for Council or other grants.
As many of you are aware extensive Community consultation and expert advice is used to create
these management plans. The RAP’s are a ‘living’ document, in that they are reviewed every 5 years.
They can also be adaptable to changing and emerging issues .Quite often it’s the on-ground groups
that first notice changes or something is missing in the RAP for their patch so it’s highly
recommended that you inform Council to make appropriate adjustments.
Council will be very supportive of any group that wishes to have a RAP for their ‘patch’. You can
contact Phil Watson; Ph. 6245 8619 or Email [email protected] for further information.
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RAP 5 year reviews
RAP Reviews will start when funds are allocated in the budget period 2016-17
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New RAP’s for 2014
Potters Hill, South Arm; Bellerive/Howrah Beach; and a combined Rap for Natone Hill, Geilston Bay,
Rose Bay and Limekiln Point Lindisfarne. Keep an eye out for further information via Councils web
site or in The Mercury newspaper public notices.
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Did you know that Clarence has around $60,000 set aside to implement Reserve Activity Plans this
financial year?
Natural Resource Management Committee
The NRM committee will be meeting in September to discuss the Draft Municipal Weed Strategy and
the Clarence Plains Catchment Management Plan. These documents will be available on the CCC
website for you to review and comment on. Council values highly input from groups when
considering management of our Natural Areas. Contact details located in “Council Contacts”
COUNCIL GRANTS
Some groups have completed their Grant Projects for 2013-14, while others are a little ‘behind the
eight ball’. With the financial year about to roll over, Council will be starting to think about Grants
for 2014-15 once we know how much money has been provided for Grants by the Council. With
Federal Budget cuts to Landcare we think competition for funds will be fierce in the new financial
year. We hope to advertise for Grant Applications in August/September and like last year schedule a
meeting to discuss grant applications once committee members have assessed the grants. A booklet
containing the grant applications will be posted to members with associated documents in-line with
previous years.
If you are experiencing difficulties with acquitting this year’s grant please contact Justin Burgess; ph.
6245 8785 or email [email protected] for further guidance.
SAFETY
I would like to extend a big thank you to all groups for their patience as we work together to make
adjustments to how we work in a changing volunteer environment, given the new Work Health and
Safety Act. It has proven to be challenging at times and I think given time it will provide you with
better support for your activities and most importantly, that you can go home from your working
bees without injuries.
 Work Health and Safety Inductions for Volunteers
Many groups have had a session with Steve Goodwin that outlines how the new Act affects Council
and volunteers. Feedback from the sessions has been mainly positive, has provided for some lively
discussion and a chance for you to ask questions and relate some of your experiences in on-ground
activities. These sessions will continue during the year as we still need to meet some groups.
You can request an induction session at any time, please let Chris Johns know. His contact details
will be in the ‘contact Council’ section.
EARLY BIRD NOTICES
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Clarence City Council Land and Coast Care grants round for 2014 opens in late August/early
September. A booklet containing the grant applications will be posted to members with
associated documents in-line with previous years.
Eco walk around the new tracks within Pilchers Hill and leading up to the Meehan Skyline
Trial on Sunday 16 November. Meet Geilston Creek Road entrance to Pilchers Hill at 9.30am.
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Plan for 3 to 4 hours of walking which includes some steeper tracks leading up to the
Meehan Skyline Trail near Caves Hill.
Clarence City Council will have a stall at the Tasmanian Sustainable Living Festival on the
8th and 9th November at Princes Wharf 1 on the Hobart water front. This year’s theme is “Get
Connected” highlighting the interconnectivity between urban and natural ecosystems;
between community, lifestyle, well-being and sustainability. Come and visit our stall that will
feature exhibits, giveaways and activities encouraging people to come up and tell us how
they would like to get connected with local government and vice versa.
Photograph: Alan Fletcher
The Swift Parrot (Lathamnus discolour) breeds in Tasmania (Sept – Dec) and migrates north to south eastern
Australia from Griffith – Warialda in NSW and west to Adelaide in the winter. It is an endangered species with
only about 1000 pairs in the wild, and its population is declining. It nests in “old growth” tree hollows about 6 –
20 metres from ground level and its call is of high pitched tinking chattering, piping pee – pit, pee – pit.
The Swift Chatter newsletter logo is based on the swift parrot.
COUNCIL CONTACTS
Phil Watson
NRM Planning Officer
Phone: 6245 8619
Email: : [email protected]
Justin Burgess
Natural Assets Officer
Phone: 6245 8785
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 6245 8773
Email: [email protected]
Chris Johns
Natural Areas Volunteer Coordinator
Natural Resource Management Committee contact details
Alderman Sharyn Von Bertouch
Lance LeSage
Peter Wall
Phil Watson
Justin Burgess
Ruth Eriksen
Lyndel Wilson
Catherine Nicholson
Swift Chatter Winter 2014
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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GROUP FORUM
BEE BUZZ
Here’s a roundup from some of the working bees held over the last few months that I have attended.
Big thanks to all groups for your support of Clarence’s natural areas and for being so welcoming.
A common thread amongst the working bee conversation has been the uncertainty of funding from
the Australian Government and what kind of framework future funding may take; will the ‘Caring for
our Country’ model still be valid?
News from your group is always welcome!
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Limekiln Point, Lindisfarne. A ‘new’ group that has been doing excellent work at
rehabilitating their local foreshore. They have been removing weeds, maintaining previous
plantings, mowing, litter clean ups and improving the amenity of the foreshore trail. They
have received great comments from trail users.
Geilston Bay (south side). Attention to detail describes the work of this small group. They
have been maintaining many years of revegetation they initiated including weeding,
mulching and some new plantings along the foreshore.
Natone Hill, Lindisfarne. Dedicated to hill climbing, this long running group has been
‘sweeping’ Natone hill for weeds and picking up litter. A beautiful example of how long term
commitment does make a difference!
Mount Rumney – Mount Canopus Land Care Group. Not the Spanish inquisition, but
Spanish Heath is this groups target at the moment. They are tackling Spanish Heath
spreading on private property as well as other weeds on the road reserve.
Bellerive/Howrah Beach. Mulch and chips anyone? If you go to Second Bluff at the end of
Bellerive Beach fresh mulch and new plants is what you will find courtesy of this group.
Another long term group that has great experience with all things ‘on-ground’
Bellerive Bluff. Enthusiastic commitment to their local patch is the hallmark of this group.
Out of all the groups in Clarence, Bellerive Bluff has probably faced the biggest challenges to
how they work, given how the new Work Health and Safety Act can impact onto volunteers.
A sensitive area was identified on their main site by Clarence City Council due to its
proximity cliffs so the group has moved around the corner on Victoria Esplanade where they
have been undertaking weed removal mulching and planting as well as some walk trail edge
maintenance.
Mortimer Bay. How many pine trees can you see? A lot less on this groups site as they
continue the herculean task of keeping a forest full of Pinus radiata invading adjacent
bushland. One good thing is after a working bee you smell nice from the pine oil!
Congratulations to the following groups for their successful funding for projects from NRM South’s
Naturally Inspired Grants.
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Mount Rumney – Mount Canopus Landcare Group, $4900 for ‘Conservation of Swift Parrot,
Eastern Barred bandicoot and Masked Owl Habitat in peri urban asset protection fire buffer
zones’.
Tranmere and Clarence Plains Land and Coast Care, $4950 for ‘Buffering the Clarence Plains
Saltmarsh’.
Wildcare Deslacs, $5000 for ‘Protecting Short tailed Shearwaters at Cape Deslacs’.
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SUSTAINABLE PARROT
Tips on how we can keep parrots and humans living together for the future.
Capturing carbon with your plantings
Dr Fred Pribac – [email protected]
The amount of carbon captured by a plant is a complicated function of a bunch of things that can
affect its growth. Things like; habit, local climate, nutrient and water availability, aspect and shading,
forest density, pests, fire history and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration.
There has been lots written about this and the research is vigorous and ongoing. Even a little bit of
internet research will quickly bury you in links and documents exploring everything from the effect
of future atmospheric carbon concentrations to optimal tree spacing in plantations.
But don’t fret, here are a few questions to ask yourself that will help you to select plants that should
be good at capturing carbon from the atmosphere.
Is it woody?
Carbon captured as wood tends to stay out of the atmosphere for longer than carbon captured as
blooms, fruits, leaves or pulp. The woodier the better.
Does it get big?
The bigger the plant the more carbon is captured. The bigger the better.
How long does it live?
Longer lived plants also store carbon out of the atmosphere for longer. The longer lived the better.
Does it grow vigorously?
Carbon is mostly captured while a plant is growing. The more it grows the more it captures.
How much watering will it need?
Wet soils and damp rotting leaf litter and detritus at the base of plants can lead to emissions of
greenhouse gases. The wetter the worse.
Will it produce a deep organic layer?
Much of the carbon captured from the atmosphere by a plant community ends up in the ground as
soil carbon. Some plant communities, like salt marshes, break all the above guidelines but still store
vast amounts of carbon in the ground. It depends on what you plant where.
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Should I really be planting this thing here?
Just because a plant is a great carbon capturer doesn’t trump the other reasons for choosing (or not
choosing) species for plantings (reasons such as invasiveness, maintenance, associated pest species,
urban or ecosystem suitability, etc., … ). Plant things that belong.
So, assuming you’ve gone through the check list above and chosen to plant a
silver wattle and a blue gum just how much carbon would you expect to
capture?
It is relatively simple fun maths to estimate the carbon content of a wattle or gum. Here is a link to
an infographic and source documentation to help you if you want to understand the maths;
ecometrica.com/webcomics/one-tonne-carbon-tree.
The assumptions I needed in order to do my own back-of-the-envelope calculation of the carbon
content and capture rates are shown in the table below.
Age to Maturity
Mature Height
Mature Diameter at Base of Stem
Density of Dried Wood
Carbon Fraction of Wood
Stem to Total Volume Fraction
Silver Wattle
20 years
25 m
.75 m
600 kg/m3
50%
60%
Blue Gum
50 years
50 m
1.5 m
700 kg/m3
50%
60%
From the stem to total volume fraction, and by assuming that the stem is a cylinder two thirds the
height of the tree, the total volume of the tree can be worked out. From the age to maturity and the
calculated volume, the dry mass and carbon content of the mature tree and average carbon dioxide
capture rate of the mature tree can be estimated.
Carbon Content of Mature Tree
Carbon Dioxide Capture Rate
Silver Wattle
3.7 tonne
0.54 tonne per year
Blue Gum
34 tonne
2.5 tonne per year
If you can only plant one tree – a longer lived large gum tree will capture carbon dioxide at about 5
times the rate of a medium shorter lived tree or wattle and store about ten times as much carbon
over its lifetime.
So, just to put this all in perspective, an ordinary Australian family car emits about 200 gm of CO2 per
kilometre or, at 50km of car travel per day, about 3.7 tonne per year. You’d need to plant and
maintain two growing blue gums (or 7 silver wattles) just to offset one cars annual carbon emissions.
Finally … a couple of things to remember!
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Carbon capture in plantings only works if you never return the carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by
cutting them down or burning them and at the end of the trees growing phase you’ll need to turn
the mature wood into something long lived and useful.
Also, carbon capture “per hectare” is a different thing again! In fact, the king and queen of carbon
capture per hectare are salt marshes and sea grass bed communities. Called blue carbon they
capture and store many more times the amount of carbon than any forest. A little effort caring for
your local salt marsh can also go a long way in mitigating anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
NETWORK CHATTER
Understorey Network Celebrates 20 years of enhancing the Tasmanian Environment
Recently members and friends joined together for a seed collecting walk and commemorative
planting on the shores of Lake Dulverton in Oatlands to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the
formation of the Understorey Network (USN). The USN, which is a state-wide not-for-profit
community organisation, has the objectives of promoting, preserving, protecting and rehabilitating
Tasmania’s native vegetation.
The USN works in partnerships with other community groups, schools, landholders and interested
individuals to grow and promote the use of Tasmanian native plants in gardens and revegetation
projects with a particular focus on the often overlooked understorey vegetation.
Each year the Understorey Network organises a volunteer grower’s scheme whereby members grow
plants for themselves, grow plants for other members or projects, or receive plants for their own
properties or projects.
Members growing for themselves can grow up to 250 free plants and are provided with all the pots,
potting mix and seeds from locally collected native species. Members also receive a comprehensive
step by step guide to growing Tasmanian native plants from seed. Growing your own is a satisfying
and enjoyable way to source native plants plus it also saves you money.
Alternatively Landcare or Coast Care groups or private landholders undertaking revegetation
projects can choose to receive up to 250 plants and an Understorey Network volunteer will grow
them specifically for your project. Receivers pay a materials levy of $44.
In the past Understorey Network members have grown plants for projects such as revegetation of
the threatened Morrisby’s Gum woodland, forty-spotted pardalote habitat, little penguin colonies
within the Derwent Estuary and rehabilitation of bushfire affected areas, to name but a few.
The Understorey Network is continually looking to grow more plants for projects, improving
Tasmania’s natural environment and to recruit more volunteers to help out. You don’t need any
special hot house or shade house, just some space in your back yard and the ability to keep them
watered over summer.
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If you are interested in getting involved or finding out more, please contact Understorey Network
coordinator, Oliver Strutt on 6234 4286 or [email protected]. The closing date for
registering for this year’s growers’ scheme is the 10th of September.
Clarence Celebrates 25 years of Landcare
Photo Sally Johns
Cutting the “birthday cake” at the recent ‘Clarence Celebrates 25 years of Landcare’ is Wendy
Andrews of the Tranmere and Clarence Plains Land and Coast Care Group with Susanne Hovington
from the Lauderdale Land and Coast Care group looking on
.
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