Planet Ark - National Tree Day
A message from our CEO, Monique Dawson
On behalf of VicForests I’d like to wish you all Happy Schools Tree Day on Friday 30 July and Happy National Tree Day on Sunday 1 August.
Since 1996 Planet Ark’s National Tree Day has grown into Australia’s largest community tree-planting day and nature care event.
While everyday can be Tree Day, these two days are an important reminder of this precious resource.
At VicForests we are committed to sustainable and responsible harvesting. Through careful planning and replanting we ensure that any forest area we harvest is regenerated for the future enjoyment of generations to come.
Each year we collect Eucalyptus seed, which is placed into storage for future regeneration programs and to support post-bushfire recovery. VicForests retains Victoria’s largest store of Eucalyptus seeds.
Following the 2019–20 bushfires in South Eastern Australia, VicForests contributed 2.9 tonnes of seed from our seedbank and continue to collect seed to build the State’s seedbank to protect against future fire events. This seed along with our expertise contributed to the reseeding of 11,500 hectares of forest in Victoria.
In mid-2019, VicForests started variable retention harvesting, which retains a significant number of trees in each coupe for current and future habitat for native species.
We also use a Thinning system in coupes where there is reasonably dense regeneration that has originated from past timber harvesting or fire. By removing a portion of the trees in this regeneration, the retained trees have greater access to water, nutrients and sunlight.
Each year we work closely with Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic), and conduct annual regeneration burns that replicate the natural forest regeneration cycle. In some areas we mechanically disturb the soil to encourage seed germination, instead of burning.
At VicForests we are proud of the way we harvest, sell and regrow sustainable timber, while ensuring that protecting our precious wildlife in our native forests is central to everything we do.
