The Trees for Life ordering season is now open – but orders must be in by July 31st.

Trees For Life seedlings help counter salinity, reduce wind and water erosion and provide shade for stock, or as vegetation buffers around patches of remnant vegetation, providing vital protection.

“Every year on May 1st, the Trees For Life ordering season opens, so any farmer needing to order low cost, local native seedlings should contact Trees For Life now on 8372 0150,” said Trees for Life Promotions Officer, Tania Kearney.

The seedlings can be grown to order by a volunteer grower (maximum 500 seedlings) over summer ready for planting in Autumn 2007, or you can grow your own seedlings (maximum 1000).

All this for only $75 ($45 Membership, $30 Material and Supply Fee)!
Trees For Life has divided South Australia into 42 revegetation zones.

The Adelaide Hills zone has four sub zones based on topography, soil type and the original vegetation of the hills with species lists made up accordingly.

1. The high ranges (Norton Summit to Meadows) have the highest rainfall in the state with steep slopes and shallow, infertile soils – its pre European vegetation was made up of stringybark forests;
2. The central area (Birdwood to Macclesfield) is defined by its gentle hills with broad floodplains and sandy loams with clay subsoil – its original vegetation type was forests of red, blue and manna gums;
3. The eastern hills (Mt Pleasant to Brukunga) consists of rolling hills with sandy soils, outcropping rocks and steep gullies with rocky cliffs. The creeklines on the lower slopes towards the Bremer River have broad floodplains with red-brown soils – this area was once predominately peppermint box, sheoak, blue gum and grassy woodlands; and
4. The rocky hills (Callington, Kanmantoo and Tungkillo districts) are made up of rolling hills with sandy soils and outcropping rocks. Here, rock strata trap water and create conditions suitable for river red gums which form open woodlands with a grassy understorey with scattered clumps of bursaria and kangaroo thorn.

On higher hills there were orginally woodlands of blue and pink gum.
“Choosing plants is made easy with a Trees For Life species list,” Tania Kearney said.

The list includes a height and shape classification of each plant, what soil type it is best suited to and a description of its possible uses, including windbreak, shade, firewood or shelter.

This autumn/winter, Trees For Life members will be planting over 1 million seedlings ordered last May, including nearly 85,000 in the Adelaide Hills ordered by 168 local members.