A wide ribbon of bright green makes an impressive sight down the creek banks behind Berry Street in Churchill.
The thousands of triangular green tree guards each has a native plant taking root in the eroded bank.
Ipswich City Council will install a total of 5000 plants, such as eucalypts, melaleucas and lomandras, to create a five metre buffer zone and koala habitat along the waterway.
1200 of those trees have been supplied through an ongoing Stroud Homes initiative that commits to planting 15 trees for each new home built in the region.
Ipswich City Council Infrastructure and Environment general manager Charlie Dill said the tree planting is part of council’s Habitat Connections program designed to beautify and restore degraded urban waterway corridors throughout Ipswich.
“Having native vegetation along creek banks decreases erosion, creates healthy ecosystems and restores biodiversity,” Mr Dill said.
“Council is working around the city at various sites to enhance the environmental outcomes for Ipswich.
“I commend Stroud Homes on their commitment to restoring trees along riparian land in Churchill.”
Peter Woolgar from Stroud Homes Brisbane West said the initiative was a “little bit extra to give something back”.
“It was astonishing,” he said of the first time he saw the thousands of trees being planted along the waterway, “it was really good to see in those areas that have been damaged by erosion.”
Mr Woolgar said this was the first time they had partnered with Council on a tree planting activity, and it was a great fit with the company’s ethos of supporting the local community.
“Wherever our houses are being built, we always do the tree plantings in that local area. We are a local business – I grew up in Ipswich – and we use local suppliers,” he said.
“It’s vital to make sure that people realise that, being a local business, we want to support the local area as much as we can to return the favour for what they do for us.
“There is a lot more pride growing in Ipswich than there used to be. Little things become big things just like trees.”
As an avid recreational fisherman, Mr Woolgar is also a supporter of the environmental benefits of revegetating Ipswich waterways.
Tree and plant roots, as well as holding together soil to prevent erosion, create habitat for juvenile fish and other aquatic species.
“I like to fish the rivers, and I’ve seen those areas decimated over the years by flood. It is good to see this area being regenerated,” he said.
The Habitat Connections program is a strategic creek rehabilitation program designed to beautify and restore degraded urban waterway corridors throughout Ipswich.
Benefits include:
- Improved water quality, sediment control and filtration of nutrients
- Food source for native animals and refuge during times of drought and fire
- Holding bank soil in place and reducing the risk of erosion
