17 January
Tree harvesting at Goulburn Valley Water’s Shepparton Wastewater Management Facility will provide hundreds of river bank erosion pins for use in the management of the region’s waterways.
Goulburn Valley Water established tree plantations on different sites decades ago as part of a long-term trial for tree irrigation using recycled water.
This trial has now been completed and the trees are being removed. Four years ago about 45 hectares of trees were harvested from the Daldy Road site, to help remediate the land and convert it into productive irrigated farming with vegetation corridors.
This latest harvest, which started this week, will see suitable trees from the wastewater facility used to support environmental outcomes through a Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (GBCMA) program.
People travelling along Shepparton-Barmah Road might notice the harvesting activity, or see additional trucks on the road in the area during the harvest.
Goulburn Valley Water Managing Director Dr Steve Capewell said repurposing the harvested trees for environmental benefit was a wonderful outcome for both organisations.
“Not only will the trees be put to good use, but the cleared land will also be rehabilitated to allow our farming operations to continue expanding.
“We have recycled water available at the Shepparton facility and the tree harvest will allow the land to be farmed using this water for irrigation, once soil rehabilitation has been completed,” he said.
The Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (GBMCA) uses timber pins to control river bank erosion – hundreds of trees measuring 150mm to 300mm in diameter are put in place annually to improve the health of waterways across the region.
Enough trees are expected to be provided to the Goulburn Broken CMA to satisfy their timber pin requirements for a number of years.
“This is a win-win scenario, with the Goulburn Broken CMA having access to these trees will allow us to continue our efforts of stabilising river banks at key sites along our local rivers and streams, it’s a great example of the two organisations working together for the good of our waterways,” Interim GBMCA Chief Executive Carl Walters said.