On Thursday 22nd October we held a workshop for the year 2 participants in our Box Gum Grassy Woodland Habitat on Farms project.

Dan Florance from the Austalian National University Fenner School of Environment and Society provided a great presentation and discussion with plenty of practical ideas on how we can protect, enhance and expand Box Gum Grassy Woodland on farm.

Ideas such as :-

• fencing off and changing grazing practices within a remnant patch of woodland you might have on your farm.
• ways to protect individual old paddock trees.
• innovative ways to include understory species back into your farm.
• looking at connectivity opportunities across the farm.
• grazing management to maximise opportunities for our native grasses and forbs to grow, set seed and drop seed within our livestock enterprises.
• direct seeding or tubestock.

We also discussed the huge range of Native flora and fauna that call this woodland home. After lunch we headed out for a site visit to one of last years completed projects. It gave everyone a chance to be inspired, see the gorgeous natives within the site, see the plenty of exotic annual species that have come up within the site this year (there is no perfect Woodland patch!) We checked out the innovative cluster circles he has put in to get some understory species into this patch. As under his careful management since 2013 there had still not been recruitment of understory species. He is hoping these circles will enable them to get established while he can still crash graze the rest of the paddock at strategic times.

It was lovely to be able to see the Superb Parrots that nest in this patch. Dan also heard and then pointed out Cockatiels that were utilising the patch as well.

Last years projects were fantastic and we are now very excited to see the projects this years participants come up with.

If you are keen to find out more about our Box Gum Grassy Woodland Habitat on Farm project and you are interested in getting involved for year 3 email us midlachlanlandcare@gmail.com.