Scenic Seeding

November 24th 2010
Progress report : 6 weeks after sowing and the first seedlings are coming up .
The Egan site which was ripped and herbicided twice looks the best at this stage.
Natural regeneration of red gums is happening . The combination of large mature red gums &
warm bare moist soil create the idea conditions for forest of eucalyptus to emerge.
This burst of growth brings new management issues.

Richie Site

8th October 2010

The Mansfield District is home to some of our most successful direct seeding sites.
The local landcare groups really promote this type of revegetation .Erica Lowing is the driver of this project , she personally collects the seed used and supervises site preparation.


Shinns Site

Steven Shinns at Mansfield was so impressed with last years site he set aside another 1 ha to be seeded this year. He has beautiful soil with a high clay content . The soil was moist and a bit sticky in places causing plugging . Hillside site Steven herbicided the whole area . Last year the local red gums readily self-seeded in the sprayed parts of the sites . Private contract. Ercia treated the seed the night before , soaking it overnight & drying it with a hair drier.

Egan

Karen Egan at Mansfield , neighbour of Steve and Erica . Again Erica organised the seed and supervised the sowing .Gentle ridge top site of 1 ha. Sown to attract wildlife. Private contract.

The site was totally sprayed and deep ripped prior to sowing.

David Richie of Mansfield , 10ha of steep rocky hilltops. Ungrazed for 2 years , lots of cape weed and pasture grasses. Well prepared site , sprayed twice and just as well . Finding all of the herbicided paths was a challenging maze. This hilltop site provided us with spectactular views of the snow on Mt Buller , the Paps , Strathbogie Ranges , Mt Skien . 360 degree views!

Cath Olive DPI Grant.