Regenerating an endangered forest: Moruya Microforest native planting begins

This is thanks to volunteers who trudged through the mud, rain and cold winds to build four garden beds and plant hundreds of native seedlings.

Landscape architect and organiser of the microforest initiative through The Climate Factory, Edwina Robinson, said the working bees on May 7 and 13 helped get the wheels in motion for the new pocket of Australian native flora.

More than 50 volunteers of all ages and abilities came to the microforest site, which is overlooked by the St John's Anglican Church and neighboured by the labryinth, to plant 600 grasses, shrubs, trees and pollinating plants on Saturday, May 13.

The seedlings symbolise the beginning of a lifetime initiative aiming to create a cooler landscape, provide habitat for native fauna and "give hope for the future", according to Ms Robinson.

READ MORE:

200 plants were donated by the council from the Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens while some plants came from volunteers' very own backyards.

"Wendy Jones is a local TAFE horticulture teacher has been working with her students to grow plants for the microforest too," Ms Robinson said.

Her goal is to plant three plants per square metre. However, for the next six months, the 600 plants will have the opportunity soak up the wintry sunlight and establish root systems before another 1500 plants are added in October.

"The thing that sets us apart from other [environmental initiatives] is that we use an innovative method," said Ms Robinson, "we're using a dense planting method and water harvesting."

"The focus is on resilience and making a really good soil, hence why we've added black organic matter so the soil can act as a big sponge."

In April, earthworks for the microforest begun and 800mm deep trenches were dug to create a 40-metre waterbank for plants during dryer periods.

Large granite rocks, donated by Beashel's Quarry, are also providing the perfect environment for the microforest's feature tree - the Port Jackson Fig tree or ficus rubiginosa: "Dry rainforest along the South Coast occurs in association with the granite, so these trees will grow all over the granite and we'll get an understory of orchids and ferns," Ms Robinson said.

Plants endemic to the Eurobodalla including native daisies, scaevolas, dianellas and banksia species will be the heroes in the microforest's "pollinator patch" - a garden bed designed to invite pollinating insects and birds.

READ MORE:

"Some people think that to attract birds, you just plant nectar producing plants, but sometimes they attract bigger, more aggressive birds like wattle birds. So, we've also planted native grasses along the edge of the garden beds to give smaller animals a chance."

Since buying a block of land with her partner, Peter, in Moruya seven years ago, Edwina has been on a mission to learn about native plant species that thrive along the South Coast.

"I didn't know many of the ecological communities here. I've discovered we have two lots of endangered forests on the coast: the coastal or littoral rainforest and the dry rainforest."

Moruya's microforest will emulate a dry rainforest and Ms Robinson hopes that the initiative will inspire others to reintroduce native plants to their properties.

"During the Black Summer bushfires, all the little pockets of rainforest around here were just losing all their leaves. They were just so dry.

"I think we really need to have some little examples of native forest around to show people the benefits of green pockets."

Ms Robinson said that in five years time, the Moruya Microforest's trees could grow up to six metres: "Maybe even more, because we've recently been told there is a spring running under the garden beds!"

"I love the support that we've been getting. We've only been here seven years, and all the people who have volunteered have become our friends. It's a really nice sense of community."

Anyone can get involved with the Moruya Microforest - learn more at climatefactory.com.au.