Insights from the Dryland Restoration Workshop

9 October 2024 | “Restoring drylands isn’t just about planting trees - it’s about considering actions to encourage landscape rehydration, selecting species that can cope with variable climate conditions, sourcing seed locally and from hotter drier areas, preparing the ground well before planting and sharing stories of successes and failures with others.”

- Anna Minchin, Landcare Tasmania project manager.

Helen Geard and Maria Weeding shared their extensive knowledge gained over 35 years of restoration projects. 

These words were spoken by Anna Minchin, Landcare Tasmania's project manager, at the recent Drylands Restoration Workshop in Campania. She joined 39 participants and six expert presenters at the workshop, which aimed to empower the community with essential techniques for effective landscape restoration.

Key insights 

The workshop featured invaluable insights from experienced professionals in the field. Helen Geard and Maria Weeding from the Southern Midlands Council and the Midlands Tree Committee shared their extensive knowledge gained over 35 years of restoration projects. They emphasised the challenges posed by the region's harsh climate, stating that for planting success you must:
“Prepare the ground well before planting, plant when the ground is wet, dig deep holes for the plants and plant the plants deep in the holes, use water crystals, protect your plants from browsing, water in if necessary, and look after your plants over the first summer.”

They offered practical tips for successful planting, including:

  • Selecting favourable weather years for planting.
  • Preparing the ground to reduce grass competition.
  • Planting when the ground is wet (June to mid-September) and creating a bowl shape around plants for effective watering.

In his presentation, Dr. Tom Remenyi discussed how the climate is becoming more variable with more extreme heat events, higher evaporation, higher temperatures and significantly drier conditions in spring and summer.

Climate challenges and future planning

Dr. Tom Remenyi from Acclimatised addressed some pressing issues related to climate change. He presented climate science predictions and stressed the projected increase in variability of weather patterns. He highlighted that, “taking action is the best way to deal with climate grief.” His advice included relying on soil moisture content rather than seasonal forecasts to time successful planting. 

Dr. Tanya Bailey presented valuable information on the genetic trials with Eucalyptus sp. conducted in the Midlands in the 2000s, which could be potential seed orchards for future restoration plantings.

Genetic diversity and local seed sourcing

Dr. Tanya Bailey discussed the ongoing genetic trials with Eucalyptus species conducted in the Midlands, illustrating the importance of local seed sourcing by showcasing dramatic differences in growth from seed of Eucalyptus globulus collected from different regions. She stated that “the range of Eucalyptus pauciflora in the Midlands is shrinking while that of Eucalyptus ovata is expanding.” Her recommendations for sourcing seeds from hotter, drier climates included utilising the decision support tree in the Flora Bank Module 5 Guidelines.

Support for Landcare groups

Anna Minchin, project manager for Landcare Tasmania, highlighted the organisation’s resources for supporting Landcare groups and spoke more on the actions needed to restore our drylands.

She stated, “Restoring drylands isn’t just about planting trees - it’s about considering actions to encourage landscape rehydration, selecting species that can cope with variable climate conditions, sourcing seed locally and from hotter drier areas, preparing the ground well before planting and sharing stories of successes and failures with others.”

Minchin further explained the importance of restoration in a changing climate and the reliance of production systems on ecosystem services. “It is not a question of restoration versus production, as production is dependent on healthy ecosystems.”

She also stated that "protecting remnant ecosystems on farms needs to be a high priority as it can be difficult and costly to restore degraded landscapes so we need to protect what we have first."

 

A special thank you to all the presenters, Guy Gibbson for his assistance with setting up the hall, and Graham and Carol McLean from Tasmanian Conservation Landholders for their support at the sign-in table.


This workshop is part of Landcare Tasmania's Landscape Restoration and Community Outreach programs and is funded by the Tasmanian State Government, the Southern Midlands Council and the Tas Farm Innovation Hub.