Last weekend, some 22 friends and relatives joined us on the farm to transform areas of paddock to areas of revegetation. We were lucky enough to have some other good friends grow our Trees for Life order this year so we have been able to watch their progress from the time the seeds were planted. Trees for Life is a community of people working to revegetate South Australia and conserve its remnant vegetation. We collected 585 trees this year from our grower friends and from Saturday morning until Sunday lunchtime, a group of us dug holes, planted trees, placed tree guards and had some great fun along the way. We planted up two areas of our farm.
Saturday saw us plant 260 trees which we hope will form a windbreak for our dam, protecting it in future years from the hot, harsh north winds of summer and reducing evaporation of our precious water supply. We also hope that these trees will reduce the flow of water through our paddocks and onto our road area, thereby reducing erosion and loss of top soil. Finally we expect this tree belt will provide shelter for our stock in years to come.
Here is how we started – a few people in the morning and more in the afternoon, a line in the paddock made of flour, outlining the area to be planted up – seemed a bit daunting when it was a blank paddock.
We were closely supervised by the cows who took great interest in what we were doing, that is until they realised we weren’t there to feed them: 
And by the end of the day, many hands had made light work of 260 trees – although our bodies still ached a little!
We did have some help along the way. Our youngest tree planter was not quite three years old, but knew how to select a good plant and place it where it will grow:
Even Superman came out to help …
Amid the camaraderie and conversation, we dug, planted, refilled holes and applied tree guards under a beautiful blue late autumn sky. New friends were made, old friends caught up and long lost cousins re-united – a group of like minded individuals, concerned about the environment and the future of our planet, doing a little something to make a difference.
On the Sunday morning we decided to do a bit more planting – because we just weren’t aching quite enough in all of our joints and muscles!
And so we set out to plant a small wind break in what is earmarked to become our horticulture paddock.
And when we were finished we counted just over 100 trees … not a bad morning’s work.
We couldn’t have done it without the energy and running legs of the junior tree planters who enthusiastically chose plants, passed out tree guards, dug holes, played behind the farm shed, carried materials and kept us entertained while we worked.
All in all, it was an amazing weekend, where good friends came together to make a difference. Without them we would have a lot more trees still in plastic waiting for a place on our farm and we wouldn’t have enjoyed such great company and determination to impact our world positively. If you’ve never been involved in a tree planting or re-vegetation project, I highly recommend it!