Steep slopes backing down to the rugged Boat Harbour coastline seem an unlikely place to grow trees, yet a local farmer has achieved a 75% survival rate on trees planted last year.

The coastline of this Boat Harbour property may have multi-million dollar views, but the icy winds off Bass Strait make it difficult for cattle to survive at times. And it isn’t just the winds that put animals at risk on this precipitous terrain. ‘We have lost a cow or two in our time, falling over the cliffs,’ said Allan Snare, a local farmer.

The Snare’s property has been in the family since 1916. Allan Snare’s Great Grandfather cleared the coastal slopes to plant potatoes. However, land slippage of these slopes had been an ongoing problem ever since.

‘We needed plants to hold the soil, and a wind break to provide shelter for the rest of the farm’, Mr Snare said. ‘Putting a wind break in on the lower slopes would give better shelter higher up on the farm, and make our other paddocks more useful.’

The planting of trees should also minimize the impact of rabbits. ‘Very small slips gradually work their way up to steeper ground and create an opportunity for rabbits to get in. Not overgrazing the steeper ground is important in minimizing this,’ said Mr Snare.

Allan approached Wynyard Landcare, who obtained funding for the project through the Australian Government’s Envirofund. The funding included 650 plants and the cost of fencing materials. Allan’s family did the hard work of planting and putting up fencing.

The planting was done in June and July last year, in the hope that the plants would get good rains to become established. Yet when the rains didn’t come, these locally grown plants showed their tenacity.

‘On average only 50% of plants put in last year on the North West survived the drought’ said Jim McLeod of Oldina Nursery, ‘whereas in a good year the survival rate would be 90%. The secret to the 75% survival here was to go local. We used local seed collected around Table Cape. We selected species that were tolerant to salt spray, and to the long dry periods.’

Whilst the plants on Allan Snare’s property showed little growth last year, the May rains gave them a burst of growth. ‘Speed of growth is not important in the long term,’ said Mr McLeod. ‘If plants grow slower initially, they establish better roots and will be less damaged by strong winds. The first year is critical for many species, and it is surviving this period that counts.’

The species that are showing the best survival rate include the once widespread hop bush (Dodonaea viscosa) and eucalypts (Eucalyptus viminalis, E. ovata and E. obliqua).

So far the Snare family have planted out about two hectares of the landslip prone slopes of his property. But the success rate so far means Allan Snare has plans for more. And hopefully this will help save his cows, in more ways than one. ‘In some places putting in trees will mean we will no longer need fencing to stop our cattle going over the edge.’

If you have a similar project that you would like to have funded through Envirofund, contact  Cradle Coast NRM on 6431 6285.