WINTER 2016 ISSUE

www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/adelaidemtloftyranges

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

02 Sampson Flat one year on: The Whiteway family story

04 Case study: Scattered tree landscapes in production systems: Hutton Vale trial 2015

06 Native grass pastures and the benefits of horses

08 Handy hint – Remnant vegetation assessments

DON’T MISS OUTDo you receive a copy of Small Talk posted to your property, without an address label? From the next edition

– spring 2016 – only those registered to have Small Talk mailed to their address will receive it.

If you would like to continue to receive Small Talk, please send your address – postal if you would like it in hard copy, or email to view it online – to Lucy Hyde on lucy.hyde@sa.gov.au, 8130 9066 or 0408 678 890.

We look forward to continuing to share land management information with you.

Rehabilitating a watercourse improves water quality, reduces erosion, provides habitat for birds and improves on-farm production. However, which are the best plant communities to do the job?

With the support of the Natural Resources Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges and 25th Anniversary Landcare Australia Grant Scheme funding, the Barossa Improved Grazing Group (BIGG) is helping landholders investigate how effective different native plant communities are at watercourse rehabilitation.

The project is exploring and demonstrating native plant communities that provide 100% annual groundcover to help stabilise soil, prevent erosion and reduce runoff, and those that improve habitat for birds by

having perching, nesting and feeding sites. It will compare the cost–benefit of different communities.

Getting startedThe project began in May 2015 on Klemm’s dairy farm in Moculta by fencing off a 250 m length of watercourse that runs during winter months and was significantly pugged through summer months. The centre of the watercourse had 10–20% ground cover and areas along the bank were completely bare. Before planting, woody weeds – more than 20 briar rose plants, and artichoke and thistles – were removed, and plant species and birds surveyed.

Angaston Ag Bureau visit to watercourse in February 2016. Photo: BIGG

Continued on page 03

Demonstrating watercourse rehabilitation with native plant communitiesGeorgie Keynes, Technical Facilitator, BIGG

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Post fire changes in the landscape• Bushland weeds like blackberries and

gorse have made a strong comeback in areas where they existed before the fire, and gorse has popped up in new locations. Weed control has been a painstaking process as there’s a lot of natives coming up in the same areas.

• We haven’t seen any echidnas since the fire and far fewer possums, although we’ve spotted kangaroos in reasonable numbers, and feral deer. Numerous small birds are starting to return and feral bird species, including sparrows and pigeons.

Positive moments• The spectacular regeneration and

flowering of Xanthorrhoeas was heartening through spring and we saw the return of lots of insects and small birds. There was also abundant germination of native orchids that created small, vibrant patches of colour in the forest. Recently, the Christmas bush (Bursaria spinosa) provided stunning white displays among the blackened tree trunks.

• Revegetation is a challenge; the soils in some areas since the fire appear to repel water and with limited water supply

not everything planted has survived. However, we’ve had some great successes which are supporting the return of birds, butterflies and native bees.

• We bought a trampoline for Ella and Sam which is a much-loved and used escape.

• One of the most positive outcomes for us is that we now feel part of a tight-knit community despite being new to the area.

Challenges• Making decisions. There’s so much you

have to decide in such a short time, it can be overwhelming.

• The work involved in setting up temporary accommodation, planning and building a new house, re-fencing and re-establishing livestock, gardens, orchards and water infrastructure is massive.

• We were unable to collect water over winter due to burned pipes and tanks and reduced roof space.

• Dust has been a constant presence since the fire, which has been testing. The dust clouds and dark skies following the Pinery fire triggered memories of Sampson.

In 2014, Ben, Vicky, Ella and Sam Whiteway moved to their property near Kersbrook in the Adelaide Hills and got to work making the most of the small areas of productive land. Clearings with orchard and grazing potential were set among larger areas of remnant mixed eucalypt woodland that sheltered a diverse understorey of wattles, tea-tree, Xanthorrhoeas, and many native shrubs, grasses, herbs and orchids. The bird life was magnificent and native animal sightings, including kangaroos, echidnas and possums, were frequent.

The block, including the house, was not well prepared for fire so the Whiteways spent much of spring raking, clearing and cleaning, and agreed to leave should a fire occur. On 2 January 2015 this plan was put into action. Already on alert due to the catastrophic fire danger rating, the Whiteways packed their vehicles and left well ahead of the fire front. At Kersbrook, Ben joined the CFS to help while Vicky, Ella and Sam headed to safety in Adelaide.

At around 3am the following morning, long after the fire front had passed through, Ben returned to their property to find that only the shed remained.

Having lost almost everything the family returned home to start to rebuild and recover. They share their observations from the past year.

Sampson Flat one year on: The Whiteway family storyDepartment of Environment, Water and Natural Resources

Regeneration 12 months on. Photo: Tom BrookmanDust on Christmas Day 2015. Photo: Ella Whiteman

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Continued from page 01

Tubestock was planted in July after a shroud spray to remove initial weed competition. Plant communities local to the area were planted in replicated 20 metre plots and compared against three control areas. The communities were:

• native grasses including wallaby, kangaroo and spear grass

• understory plants (approx. 60 cm tall), including Juncus, Lomandra and Hardenbergia species

• trees including sheoak, peppermint box and red gums

• trees and midstorey plants including Acacia, Bursaria and Dodonaea species.

Due to the extremely dry spring, the plants were watered in October, December, January and early March.

Year 1 resultsThe most noticeable results one year later were the reduced pugging and groundcover over 90–100% of the entire site. These results would significantly reduce the risk of erosion and runoff, and improve water quality. They demonstrate the effectiveness of simply removing stock from the watercourse area.

Even in the dry conditions, more than 70% of plants survived, with most losses from the understorey plant plots. Most planted Juncus species did not survive, but plants originally there have thrived and flourished – a much cheaper option than tubestock planting!

Weed control has been a continual problem with Caltrop, which was already present in small numbers, flourishing in areas sprayed out for plants. It will continue to be monitored but should decline with competition from the native plants.

Plans for the futureIn the second year of the project, an adjacent section of watercourse will be fenced off to determine the cost effectiveness of machine direct seeding.

As the plants become more established, the bird and fauna surveys will be repeated. The benefits of increased pasture production through rotational grazing and improved milk production as a result of shade and shelter for the cows will also be determined.

Visit www.biggroup.org.au for more information.

Demonstrating watercourse rehabilitation

Continued from page 02

Helpful tips• Keep a record of what you’ve done when

rebuilding, even a basic diary. Sometimes it’s hard to see progress and it feels like you’re not getting anywhere. If you can look back at a list of all you’ve achieved it helps with a much-needed sense of satisfaction.

• We tried to maintain a positive outlook and use the fire as an opportunity to step back and plan the property from a blank slate. The process was difficult, and still remains a challenge on some days, but ultimately is very rewarding. At the end of this process we will have a beautiful new house on the site we love.

• We decided to stay on site for the rebuild and recovery, setting up a temporary shipping container for accommodation. It was difficult to live in and each season has brought new challenges. However, being on site everyday has facilitated rapid progress and meant that we’ve been able to observe all stages of recovery on the property. Seeing changes day to day gave us a real sense of hope throughout the journey.

Support• We received wonderful support from

many friends, local groups, businesses and charities. The first being the Toyota Landcruiser Club, which came and helped us demolish the house and clear the site. Food for us and the animals, and water regularly appeared. At times it was overwhelming as people would either arrive on site to help or send gifts of clothing, vouchers, household goods or even cash. At the time we didn’t always know where the gifts had come from and there wasn’t always a chance to say thank you, but we are incredibly grateful for all of the support we received.

• We have also been assisted by Natural Resources Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges (AMLR) in a number of ways including attending workshops and creating an ongoing property plan to help with weed control and fencing. We’ve really appreciated the property visits by a Natural Resources AMLR staff member and being able to build rapport with that one person.

• We’re doing what we can to help those affected by the Pinery fire. Ben, Ella and Sam are joining the Toyota Landcruiser Club to assist with the demolition of someone else’s lost home.

Natural Resources AMLR has a number of resources available for those recovering from the Sampson Flat and Pinery bushfires.

This story and many others can be found on the DEWNR Good Living Blog: environment.sa.gov.au/goodliving/home

Watercourse at the start of the project. Photo: BIGG

Watercourse in October 2015. Photo: BIGG

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Paddock trees. Photo: Geoff Hodgson

Case study: Scattered tree landscapes in production systems: Hutton Vale trial 2015Randall Johnson, Ecological Restoration Coordinator, Natural Resources Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges

Name: Hutton Vale Farm

Property location: 4 km east of Angaston

Property size: 867 ha

Current enterprise: Mixed farming. Majority of property used primarily for grazing sheep (crossbreeds), vineyards (27 ha), intermittent cropping (127 ha)

Rainfall: 500  mm

Soil: Highly variable. Dominated by acidic loams, with limited occurrence of red loams on limestone and alluvial soils

Property features: The area has complex topography with elevation from 340 m in southwest of the property next to North Para River to 440 m in northeast at Boundary Road. Several prominent hills rise to over 400 m in the southwestern section of the property. The central area has a shallow valley with very low gradient bisected by the southern reach of Stone Hut Creek.

Only 1.5% of the property is mapped as native vegetation. However, much of it retains a relatively high cover of remnant eucalypts with greater than 5% crown cover per hectare. Remnant eucalypts are Peppermint Box (Eucalyptus odorata), Inland South Australian Blue Gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon ssp. pruinosa) and River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis ssp. camaldulensis).

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Method 1 – Individually plotted trees classified by planting zone.

IntroductionOver the last decade, numerous studies have established the importance of paddock trees and lightly timbered areas for nature conservation. Without the paddock tree landscape, many species of declining woodland birds would be unlikely to persist in the region. Despite this, we have yet to see significant on-ground effort and investment at a national or local level. There is some effort but it remains ‘patch-focused’.

IssuesThe property has been modified by continuous livestock grazing, but surveys of the property found many species of woodland birds persist in the lightly timbered landscape, including declining species such as the Brown Treecreeper, Varied Sittella and Rufous Songlark.

Most of the remnant trees pre-date European settlement and tree recruitment since that time has been both episodic and highly localised. While most trees on the property appear healthy, loss to dieback and other stressors, combined with natural senescence, will ultimately impact on the persistence of the scattered tree landscape as trees are not replaced. The Angaston Fire, which impacted the Hutton Vale property in December 2014, further illustrated problems stemming from lack of tree recruitment. Old trees are particularly vulnerable to fire and up to 60 large remnant trees were lost during this event.

ActionsThree strategies are being trialled at Hutton Vale Farm.

1. Individual trees are planted at low density to ensure some younger trees establish at appropriate density in the scattered tree landscape. Each tree is fitted with a stock-proof guard, with a range of different guard designs being trialled. The trial planted 420 individual tree seedlings with different tree species planted in predetermined ‘species zones’ relevant to the landscape setting.

2. A fast rotational grazing trial is specifically targeted at promoting eucalypt recruitment. Studies interstate have found that tree recruitment under fast rotational grazing in low nutrient settings approaches that of ungrazed areas. A 174 ha paddock was fenced into three smaller paddocks of roughly equal size in winter 2015.

3. A nutrient reduction trial aims to improve tree health in sheep ‘camps’ which have elevated nutrient levels, particularly nitrate. Two prominent hills have been fenced off and rested. These will be sprayed out in

winter 2016 and existing trees will be supplemented with low density plantings of appropriate native trees and shrubs. These areas will be ‘crash grazed’ when the plantings are mature enough, which will avoid the nutrient concentration associated with sheep camps in relatively continuously stocked paddocks.

ResultsDespite the very dry spring and early summer of 2015, survival of planted trees has been high at around 88% as of February 2016 – reinforcing the importance of planting early in the season. Labour was found to be the biggest cost associated with planting scattered trees, and stock guards designed for rapid installation easily offset higher material costs.

The guard design that was best performing and quickest to install consists of galvanised weldmesh (3 x 50 x 50 mm) cut and rolled into two half circles and fixed to two 180 star posts. The 50 x 50 mm spacing excludes almost all herbivores. Up to 25 guards can be loaded onto a ute and the installers aren’t slowed down by cutting and shaping wire. The location and species of each tree in the field is pre-determined to ensure the desired density is achieved and the appropriate tree species is planted.

One of the three paddocks subject to the fast rotational grazing trial has been heavily grazed and then immediately rested following significant summer–autumn rainfall. Despite two significant late summer–early autumn rainfall events, no eucalypt germination had been observed by mid-April.

The nutrient reduction trial will largely be implemented in 2016–17.

ConclusionMaintaining these landscapes is likely to require grazing manipulations combined with active interventions, such as those trialled at Hutton Vale Farm. Fast rotational grazing can promote natural recruitment, but regeneration tends to occur in the immediate vicinity of the parent trees – the density can compromise some of the required habitat values (bare ground and open structure). Areas of dense eucalypts limit production values because of competition for light, nutrients and water, and dense litter.

Targeted planting of individual trees is likely to be a critical tool in maintaining the open, lightly timbered landscape with large inter-canopy spacing of 25–50 metres. Much remains to be understood about managing natural eucalypt regeneration to maintain habitat and production values. This work and other trials underway elsewhere could shed some light.

Natural Resources Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges is delivering the Hutton Vale works through the ‘Creating resilient landscapes in the Mount Lofty Ranges through large-scale replanting and restoration’ project funded by the Australian Government.

The findings from the Hutton Vale scattered tree component of the trials are informing the roll out of the Trees for Life Paddock Tree Project.

ContactsRandall Johnson, 0428 100 167, Randall.Johnson@sa.gov.au

To become involved in the Trees for Life Paddock Tree Project contact: Geoff Hodgson, 0448 888 598, geoffh@treesforlife.org.au

treesforlife.org.au/trees/paddock-tree-project

06 | Natural Resources Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges

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Introduced (exotic) grasses that dominate properties in the Adelaide Hills, are high in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC). When exposed to intensive grazing (set stocking) by animals these grasses produce higher levels of NSCs, often causing health problems for some horses.

Recent research showed that most recommendations about equine nutritional needs are based on high performance horses, especially racehorses or thoroughbred broodmares. Many recreational horse owners do not want or need high rates of weight gain for their horses.

Native Australian grasses tend to be lower in NSC than traditional pasture grasses, making them very suitable as pastures for horses prone to health conditions associated with laminitis, obesity and insulin resistance. Perennial native grasses are drought resistant, persistent and are can be grown in areas where traditional grass struggles.

For the most part, recreational horse owners struggle to find a happy medium in land management – they often have too much grass (unsuitable for their horses) or no grass at all. The Upper Torrens Land Management Project (UTLMP) is running workshops, field days and trials to showcase the suitability of perennial native grass pastures to improve these conditions.

The workshops and field days attracted more than 70 people to one or more of the three sessions. They learnt about horse health issues and how to establish and maintain native grass pastures, including the species most suited to grazing in the Mount Lofty Ranges. Presenters, equine nutritionist Tracy Whiter, Dr Ian Chivers of Native Seeds Pty Ltd, local native grass grower, Bob Myers of Native Grass Resources Group, and Horse SA’s Julie Fiedler, were able to pass on the latest information. All sessions were filmed and can be viewed on the AMLR NRM Board Youtube channel, under the topic ‘Improving horse health using native grasses’:

Funding through the Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges NRM Sustainable Agriculture Team is allowing UTLMP to trial some native grasses with horse owners. Four trials have begun on private properties in Kersbrook, One Tree Hill, Birdwood and Myponga. They are establishing 1 ha native grass plots and looking at the costs associated with site preparation including weed control and sowing. Once the native grass pastures have been established, the most suitable grazing management regimes, food on offer and nutritional values will be studied, as will horse preferences and palatability. All of the information gained will be shared throughout the region and the trials used as demonstration sites to showcase the outcomes. Updates on the project will be published on the Horse SA website, www.horsesa.asn.au

For more information on the project, contact Kim Thompson, Project Officer for UTLMP on 0438 639 353 or kthompson@barossa.sa.gov.au

Group from winter tour of native grasses, August 2015. Photo: Kim Thompson

Dr Ian Chivers and Pauline Williams with a beneficiary of native grass pastures. Photo: Kim Thompson Bob Myers illustrates the identification features of kangaroo grass. Photo: Kim Thompson

Native grass pastures and the benefits of horses Kim Thompson, Project Officer, Upper Torrens Land Management Project

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Events Landholder events are supported by funding from your NRM levy and the Australian Government.

Contact usNATURAL RESOURCES CENTRES

Head office205 Greenhill Road Eastwood SA 5063 (08) 8273 9100 DEWNR.AMLR@sa.gov.au

Gawler office8 Adelaide Road Gawler SA 5118 (08) 8523 7700 DEWNR.AMLRGawlerOffice@sa.gov.au

Black Hill office115 Maryvale Road Athelstone SA 5076 (08) 8336 0901 DEWNR.AMLRBlackHillOffice@sa.gov.au

Willunga office5 Aldinga Road Willunga SA 5172 (08) 8550 3400 DEWNR.AMLRWillungaOffice@sa.gov.au

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE OFFICERS

Taryn MangelsdorfGawler (08) 8523 7703 or 0427 188 125 taryn.mangelsdorf@sa.gov.au

Chris NicholsBlack Hill (08) 8336 0929 or 0408 000 842 chris.nichols@sa.gov.au

Jeff EdwardsWillunga (08) 8550 3405 or 0437 652 674 jeffs.edwards@sa.gov.au

REGIONAL LANDCARE FACILITATOR

Lucy Hyde(08) 8130 9066 or 0408 678 890 lucy.hyde@sa.gov.au

COMMUNITY-RUN NATURAL RESOURCE CENTRES

Mount Pleasant132 Melrose Street Mount Pleasant SA 5235 (08) 8568 1907 mpnrc@bigpond.com

Willunga Environment Centre18 High Street Willunga SA 5172 (08) 8556 4188 info@willungaenviro.org.au

Normanville3/50 Main Road Normanville SA 5204 (08) 8558 3644 admin@nnrc.com.au

Victor Harbor3 Eyre Terrace Victor Harbor SA 5211 (08) 8552 0301 clancy@vhnrc.com

Adelaide Hills1 Crescent Drive Norton Summit SA 5136 (08) 8390 1891 valhunt@ahnrc.org

Gawler8 Adelaide Road Gawler SA 5118 (08) 8523 7715 nrc.gawler@gmail.com

Barossa Bushgardens653 Research Road Light Pass SA 5355 (08) 8562 4775 sbarrett@barossa.sa.gov.au

Sign up for our monthly landholder events calendar for a list of upcoming field days, workshops and courses run by Natural Resources, community groups and industry groups by emailing chris.nichols@sa.gov.au. To view the latest calendar, click the link under the Education tab at www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/adelaidemtloftyranges.

If you would like Natural Resources staff to run a specific event for your organisation, please get in touch with any of the contacts in the column on the right.

Pinery fire recovery

For advice, help or assistance with managing native vegetation after fire, revegetation, shelter belts and wind breaks, whole of property planning, pest plant and animal control, stock management and containment areas, please contact the Natural Resources team at Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges (08) 8523 7700 or Northern and Yorke (08) 8841 3400. For information about fire recovery events, please go to our website. These events are funded by the Regional Landcare Facilitator Programme and the NRM levy.

Farm walk at Myponga. Photo: Lucy Hyde

Handy hint – Remnant vegetation assessments

Things to do – winter• Observe and monitor waterlogged and erosion-prone areas, and use temporary fencing

where necessary.

• Watch for insect attack in newly sown pastures, particularly from Red-legged Earth Mite

and Lucerne Flea.

• Check your dam spillway is operating effectively.

• Develop or revise your bushfire survival plan. Use the off-season to carry out tasks such

as installing gutter-guards and sprinklers.

• Complete broadleaf spraying as early as possible.

• Plan paddock management in advance. Determine which areas to cut for hay, graze,

slash or spray top, to set back annual weeds in early spring.

• Control weeds in areas of native vegetation.

• Ensure livestock vaccinations are up to date, and worm test sheep and calves.

www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/adelaidemtloftyranges

SUBMISSION INFORMATION

For comments, enquiries or submissions to Small Talk, or for back issues, contact:

Lucy Hyde Regional Landcare Facilitator

Natural Resources Adelaide & Mount Lofty Ranges Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources GPO Box 1047 Adelaide SA 5001 (08) 8130 9066 or 0408 678 890 lucy.hyde@sa.gov.au

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Small Talk is produced by Natural Resources, Adelaide & Mount Lofty Ranges. This publication is funded by the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board and partially funded by the Australian Government.

Help Small Talk be greener If you would like to receive Small Talk via email

please contact DEWNR.AMLR@sa.gov.au

Small Talk can also be found on the website www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/adelaidemtloftyranges

Assessing the quality of remnant native vegetation is useful for prioritising work (with better remnants receiving a higher priority), and determining which, if any, management techniques to adopt.

Features of good-quality remnant vegetation include:• high numbers of a variety of native plant species

• low threat from weeds and feral animals

• minimal bare ground

• natural regeneration

• healthy trees, including large, hollow-bearing trees and fallen logs on the site

• low grazing pressure

• high numbers of a variety of native fauna species

• large size, minimal ‘edge effects’ and connections with other remnants nearby.

Diverse remnant vegetation. Photo: C Leo