The Site:
Located 9 kilometres south-west of Mt Barker, South Australia, Carbon Neutral is creating a carbon sink on 20 hectares of this private landholding over a four to six year period using a variety of species with appropriate local provenance. Due to the steep nature of the land, a combination of hand and machine direct seeding and tubestock interplanting has been used. The species associations on site are dominated by Eucalyptus obliqua (Messmate stringy bark) woodland.
Funded through donations from:
2007 season planting:
Elderton Winery, Finsbury Green Printing, Brown Falconer, Able Plastics, Aura Objects, Blacks Veterinary Services, Brown Brothers Pty Ltd, Complete Removals, Consistent Pork, Green Motor Company Pty Ltd, Jane Manifold Photography, Kearney Financial Services, Melrose Primary School, Metrotech, Orlando Wines, SA Great, Adelaide and Mt Lofty Natural Resources Management Board, Solar Cities Congress 2008, Sorensen Architects, Streamline Environmental Consultants, Taming the Beast, Tandem Graphic Design, Trees For Life, Two Dogs Media, G Russell, N Harry, P Hackworth, G Colombe, P Smith, G Paulik
2008 season planting :
Royal Automobile Association of SA Inc, Motor Accident Commission, Pernod Ricard Pacific, Satisfac Credit Union, Abbott Printers & Stationers and Shearer Elliss Chartered Accountants
2009 season planting:
Elderton Wines, Motor Accident Commission, Whyalla Veterinary Clinic, Adelaide Convention Centre, Go For Green, Adventure Bay Charters, South Australian Wine Industry Environmental Conference 2009, Satisfac Direct Credit Union Limited, Marketing Naturally, Whyalla Veterinary Clinic, Barry Plant Real Estate, South Australian Tourism Industry Council, J Critchlow, A Platt
Species planted on site:
Eucalyptus sp: camaldulensis, cosmophylla, fasciculosa, leucoxylon, obliqua, baxteri , viminalis, viminalis cygnetensis
Acacia sp melanoxylon, myrtifolia, paradoxa, pycnantha, acinacea, retinodes (hill form), verniciflua
Allocasuarina sp: verticillata, muelleriana, striata
Leptospermum sp: continentale, lanigerum
Callistemon sieberi
Dodonaea viscosa spatulata
Site Update: October 2011
A stem audit was conducted on 21st April 2011.
The audit reveals a total of 38,423 plants establishing across all the revegetation zones. Whilst this exceeds the projected 24,800 plants, there are dense clusters of predominantly acacias that will in time thin due to competition, similar to events of mass germination after fire or other disturbance events.
More than 300 seedlings were planted by the landholder this winter, mainly under-storey plants.
This site will be studied by a University of South Australia student to look at the different types of revegetation undertaken over the years and its ability to support re-establishing indigenous bird populations.
Planted 2007-2009
Method Direct Seeding supplemented by tubestock in each subsequent year
Target 2007 planting 7550 trees and shrubs
2008 planting 8124 trees and shrubs
2009 planting 9126 trees and shrubs
First Audit results 2007 planting 19,572 trees and shrubs
2008 planting 11,551 trees and shrubs
2009 planting 7,300 trees and shrubs
Final Audit due June 2013
