In SA the NAB & Trees for Life are helping revegate the Eyre Peninsula
This is one of the great collaborative efforts that you never seem to hear of in the daily news services. Last year after the devastating bushfires on South Australia’s Eyre peninsula, the National Bank announced it would cover the cost for landholders in the fire-affected area to order seedlings through Trees for Life, a SA environmental organisation.
HOW DOES TREES FOR LIFE WORK?
Once the orders from landholders are received, local native seedlings are grown by Trees for Life volunteers over summer ready for planting in Autumn, OR farmers can choose to grow their own seedlings.
People can
(i) order from 50 to 500 seedlings if a volunteer grower is required, or
(ii) order from 50 to 1,000 seedlings and grow their own. The seedling ‘ordering season’ runs from 1 May to 31 July.
The Trees for Life scheme has been going for 24 years and members have grown over 25.7 million local native seedlings in that time. There is a species list that includes:
-height and shape classification for each plant;
-what type of soil it is best suited to;
-a description of its possible uses: windbreak, shade, firewood, shelter.
Last year around 1500 volunteers grew over 1 million seedlings for landholders and revegetation projects across SA, helping repair major environmental issues such as salinity and soil erosion.
Apparently NAB employees have been enthusiastic about volunteering to grow seedlings destined for the Eyre Peninsula. The NAB is also talking to authorities and the Port Lincoln community about other ways the National can contribute to the region’s longterm recovery.
FOR MORE INFO CONTACT:
Rita Reitana, Trees for Life Promotions Coordinator P: 08 88372 0150 M: 0405 319 159 E: ritr@treesforlife.org.au
Geoff Lynch, Head of Media Telations, NAB P: 03 8634 1564 M: 0405 319 819 E: geoff c lynch@national.com.au
