Why revegetation is important
Native revegetation is the process of replanting and rehabilitating disturbed land to:
- restore biodiversity
- prevent erosion
- provide shelter belts for stock and habitat for wildlife.
Revegetation is a valuable and rewarding way to increase native vegetation and replace some habitat features on your property. It can also improve the aesthetics and, in some cases, the productivity of a property.
Revegetation projects can be expensive. The costs are variable based on:
- the size and shape of the project
- labour for preparation
- fencing
- maintenance.
Before you start
A property plan can help you to make more strategic decisions when considering development or improvements. It gives a bird's-eye view of the property layout and can help you consider:
- land use and capability
- management systems
- location of infrastructure.
Having a whole-farm plan in place helps you identify appropriate sites for revegetation that meet your aims.
Once you have completed a detailed plan for the revegetation project, you will be able to accurately cost your project with a breakdown of:
- materials
- plants
- equipment
- labour.
Read more about farm planning using digital imagery from spatial maps.
Identify your revegetation goals
Across your property, you may have several goals that can be met with strategic revegetation. For each new planting zone, you should consider what you aim to achieve.
Your goals for your revegetation will determine:
- planting design including site location and dimensions
- plant density
- plant layout
- species selection
- planting technique.
Common examples of revegetation goals
Windbreaks can slow wind speed up to 80% and are ideal for reducing crop and pasture moisture loss and stock stress. When positioned correctly, windbreaks function up to 20 times their height across the paddock.
Read more about planting for windbreaks.
Trees and shrubs may be used as visual barriers to block a view, as noise screens, or as buffers to filter spray drift from intensive cropping or horticulture.
Read more about planting for noise and spray buffers.
Native vegetation can be planted to provide habitat for wildlife and assist wildlife movements across the landscape by connecting patches of remnant bushland. Creating stepping stone vegetation pockets, incorporating existing paddock trees or re-establishing cleared understorey can benefit fauna movement, as well as improve biodiversity and landscape health.
Read more about planting for wildlife corridors
Planting alongside watercourses in the ‘riparian zone’ can provide important habitat for wildlife and help to improve water quality by filtering sediment and nutrients from the surrounding landscape.
Read more about riparian revegetation.
Revegetation can be strategically used to help control localised salinity problems. Plantings may be placed in:
- recharge areas where water enters the landscape, such as hill tops
- along the break of slope to intercept the water table
- in discharge areas where the symptoms of salinity often show up.
Areas that have been less-frequently grazed or cultivated, particularly around large old paddock trees or fencelines along roadside vegetation, could be areas of potential for natural regeneration of native trees and shrubs. Temporary fencing along these sites as part of your overall revegetation plan may be enough to allow the seed bank to establish the next generation.
Read more about biodiversity and scattered paddock trees.
Site selection for revegetation
Using a whole-farm plan to identify appropriate sites for revegetation ensures you consider how possible plantings might meet your aims alongside management practices and infrastructure.
Planning will help you to identify where you may achieve multiple outcomes. For example, you may be able to expand or link remnant habitat and provide some shelter for livestock at the same time.
Once you have created your whole farm plan, you can then decide which revegetation sites are priorities for you and plant them first.
If possible, try to have a variety of revegetation sites, incorporating a range of landscape and habitat features.
The landscape position and soil properties of the site that you choose to revegetate will influence species selection and planting method. For example, if you are planting in a low-lying, waterlogged area you will need to select plant species that can cope with this and ensure site preparations are appropriate.
Other factors such as prevailing wind direction may also influence your planting design. If the site you have selected for your revegetation project is grazed by livestock, you will need to protect the planting with stock-proof fencing.
Species selection
Selecting the right species for your site is key to long-term success. Match species to local conditions, including soil, rainfall, and elevation.
There are some situations where careful plant species selection is important.
If you want to support specific species, such as threatened species, make sure you incorporate the types of plants they require or prefer.
Local Land Services staff can help you find out what threatened species occur in your area and what you should plant that benefits their habitat needs.
Sites subject to prolonged inundation (under water for several months or more) create low oxygen soil environments that severely limit the species of plants that are able to survive. It should be noted on low lying plains where flooding is relatively frequent (a few times a decade or more), treeless areas can be quite natural.
These areas are often dominated by reed beds or with tree species limited to the edges and high points of these landscapes.
Vegetation within riparian zones is often quite different to that of the adjacent landscape. Plants must be able to withstand periodic water flows. It is a good idea to choose fast growing native species that establish quickly so they don’t get washed away during floods.
Soil is a major indicator of the type of vegetation that can and does occur on a site. There are a range of soils throughout NSW ranging from pure sand to black cracking clays. The more colour the soil has, the more nutrients it contains.
Getting to know your soils can assist with species selection, site preparation and planning.
You can check the Soils Near Me app.
DIY soil check
You can check your soil type by taking a handful of soil, adding a bit of moisture and squeezing it into a ball.
- Clay soil will stain your hand and will be easy to form into a ball.
- If it also contains sand, it will feel gritty.
- Sand will leave no stain and does not hold together in a ball.
- Loam feels silky.
Learn how to use the rolling method to identify soil type
Field pH can be tested using a simple kit. Ideally, you want your soil to be around pH 6.5 to 7, but pH 6-8 will be suitable for most species. Basic pH kits can be purchased from nurseries and garden centres.
Revegetation planting methods
It is important to consider what planting methods and revegetation techniques you will use during the planning phase. This can affect the onground works design and the overall cost of the project.
Broadly speaking, the two main revegetation techniques are transplanting seedlings (generally as tubestock) or direct sowing of seeds.
Direct seeding
Direct seeding involves placing your tree and shrub seed in a prepared planting area using a machine or hand broadcast method.
This is the least expensive of all planting options at around 25% of the cost of seedling planting if you buy the seed, and considerably less again if you collect your own seed.
The results of direct seeding are generally inconsistent, producing ‘patchy’ rows with clumps of seedlings in some areas and little to no cover in others.
For a windbreak this is problematic as it creates variable densities and gaps that can compromise its effectiveness. For environmental plantings though it is ideal as the patchiness creates habitat complexity through a mixture of open and dense areas.
Direct seeding has additional benefits through the real world conditions experienced by the plants after germination. These conditions ensure that only the strongest plants, with the strongest genetics survive. Seedlings that are grown in ideal nursery conditions experience little in the way of adaptive outside pressures until they are planted into the paddock situation (after you have paid for them). This seemingly small difference can actually result in a big variation over the long life of your revegetation site.
Hand broadcasting
This technique is suitable for steep sites, river banks and for seeding in areas where you may want to cause minimal disturbance. For example, among existing trees or on sites that already have good native groundcover.
Mechanical seeding
A mechanical seeder is less labour-intensive than hand-sowing. It is suitable for large-scale areas where vehicle access is possible.
Planting seedlings
Transplanting seedlings as tubestock is more expensive and more labour intensive than direct seeding. However, some revegetation projects, for example windbreaks or sensitive riparian areas, are better suited to this method.
Tubestock can be purchased in bulk from local nurseries. Order well in advance and make sure seedlings have been hardened off before transplanting.
A good moisture profile in the soil is critical for the success of revegetating seedlings.
Protecting seedlings with a tree guard is also recommended, which can add to the cost of your project.
Read more about planting seedlings for revegetation.
Designing on-ground works
Once you have determined the aim of your planting, where you will locate the planting and the species you will use, it is time to design the on-ground works.
The design process will give you a structured plan including
- position and length of planting row
- plant spacing and number of seedlings/rate of sowing
- position and length of protective fencing.
Position of rows and plant spacings
The distance between rows and individual plants can depend on the species being used. Always consider the mature size and habit of the plants. Over planting is not only expensive and wasteful, it causes plants to compete, which can suppress growth potential and ultimately lead to plant death as they thin themselves out.
The position of rows and plant spacings will also be strongly influenced by the aim of your planting. For example, plants are specifically positioned in wind breaks to alter air movement, while plants in wildlife habitat corridors can be randomly placed.
Use the detailed guides for more information on plant densities.
Fencing
Revegetation sites should be fenced before the plants go in. Position your fence a minimum of 4 m away from the outside planting rows to allow maintenance access.
Fencing is necessary when planting in grazed landscapes to protect the young plants.
Your fence should be engineered to be stock proof. Planting sites grass up quickly after fencing and, combined with the tree shelter, will become a highly desirable area for stock. Make sure your fence is able to withstand this pressure.
When installing fencing in areas adjoining existing vegetation or new wildlife corridors, use top and bottom plain wires, to prevent harm to native fauna. Read more about wildlife friendly fencing.
When to plant
Timing is important. Regardless of whether you are planting seedlings or you are direct seeding, you need to plant into a soil with a full moisture profile. This is typically autumn through to early spring when evaporation and plant transpiration are low. Planting into dry soil is stressful for both the planter and the plant and invites failure.
When creating your timeline, consider:
- optimal planting times
- how much ground preparation is required
- how long it will take to order the plants required.
Maintenance and monitoring
Your revegetation plan should also include a budget and plan for ongoing maintenance.
Read more about on-ground revegetation works.
Contact Local Land Services NSW
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