What is bush regeneration?

Bush regeneration is returning otherwise developed or degraded land to a more natural ecologically balanced environment. It can also be used to describe the removal and management of exotic weeds that may have degraded natural bush-lands.

The Australian Bush

Affectionately known as the “bush” in Australia we are basically referring to non-urban areas that are not substantially developed or used for intensive farming.  The bush can be native or rural in character, and may include small areas of land such as along creeks. In our case we are talking about the whole of our property which is not to be used for food production beyond a food forest and some kitchen vegetables.

Completed Bush Regeneration

Natural recovery

Buy ensuring the property is no longer farmed for cropping or grazing, and controlling critical pest plants and species there is a natural regeneration process that takes place. Sometimes keeping grazing animals off is not as easy as you may think. Of course we do not even try and remove Kangaroos, Wallabies and Wombats from the property as they are indigenous to Australia, and tend to complement the existing flora.

Black Wattle – a Mimosia is a common pioneer species which only has a short life of between 7 and 12 years.

Herb and Forbes

Neighboring farmland and fertility

Dam Rehabilitation

Originally built as a “requirement” for before subdivision, to actually mitigate the growth of erosion gullies, rather than to provide sock water, the dam is constructed using the local earth. Unfortunately this earth is Sodic and the dam wall would dry hard in summer and be slimy wet in the rain. This summer drying resulted in cracks that was breached once we had rain.

To combat the above problems and improve the regeneration process we undertook a project with the local “Catchment Management Authority”. The results have being substantial. <link here>

Wildlife corridor

Together with many of our neighbors we formed a local landcare group.  With one of our neighbors we applied for and won a grant to plant 700+ trees as a Wildlife Corridor” <link here>

Future regeneration opportunities

Errosion

Ridge top plantings

Natural forest

Food Forest

Result of research