1. Who are WOODiWiLD ?
WOODiWiLD Limited is a not-for-profit registered charity that plants indigenous trees on previously cleared farming land in Australia to create habitat for our threatened wildlife. We raise our funds through creative partnerships and fundraisers with schools, organisations and businesses. The organisation’s ambitious objective is to plant 1 million trees over a 10 year period on private land right across the Murray Darling Basin. The WOODiWiLD Fund is registered on the Register of Environmental Organisations and is a Deductible Gift Recipient.
The founder and CEO of WOODiWiLD is Gary Wells, who was the CEO of the Nature Conservation Trust of NSW for 5 years to 2017 – responsible for protecting over 50,000 Ha of important biodiversity in NSW.
Jeremy Hagenbach is a Director of WOODiWiLD and oversees the establishment of our new planting sites.
Both Gary & Jeremy have lived on farms in Southern NSW for over 20 years and understand the benefits of tree plantings for both wildlife and the farming operation.
2. How much is it to fund the planting of a tree ?
The cost to fund the planting of a tree is $12.00 inclusive of GST.
3. What do I get for the money ?
You will receive a unique satellite GPS location for the tree which will be yours to keep. WOODiWiLD will also maintain our website (woodiwild.org) which will enable you to follow the growth of the plantation in which the tree is located on-line. The tree is planted by WOODiWiLD on private land with landholders who are seeking to regenerate native plantings on their property. We can only plant once a year to optimise the success of our plantings, so your tree may not be planted until the next planting window (which is usually in August each year). You will receive an email from WOODiWiLD confirming when your tree has been planted together with your unique GPS map location for the tree.
The landholders are required to leave the trees in the ground for a minimum period of 20 years and we expect the trees will remain in the landscape permanently after this time. We undertake to replace the tree if it is lost through fire or pests in the first 4 years after planting when it is most vulnerable to these threats. After 4 years a planting will be left to naturally regenerate if there are losses from fire or pests.
If you are supporting a fundraiser, the school or other organisation involved in the fundraiser will receive $4 for every tree funded.
4 . When, Where and Which trees are planted ?
Our plantations are initially being established on private land within the Murray Darling Basin in Australia (from Queensland through NSW & Victoria to South Australia) and over time will be extended to other areas of Australia. We work with landholders (usually farmers) who are interested in re-vegetating parts of their properties. The trees are specially selected for the site in accordance with Government environmental agency guidance (eg. Local Land Services in NSW). This ensures that indigenous trees are planted which are suited to the area and the local wildlife. Our trees are usually planted in late winter to optimise the early growth rates.
Our plantings are usually between 5Ha and 20Ha in size. This relatively small footprint minimises the risk of bushfires affecting our total planting (lots of small areas in different locations rather than large areas in the same location). It also enables more farmers to participate in replanting on their farms and does not significantly impact their commercial activities. Current best practice science confirms that plantings of this size will have a positive effect on the biodiversity of the area.
We consider other areas of remnant native vegetation in the landscape when locating our plantings. Our aim is to place our plantings in areas that will improve movement of wildlife through corridors of existing and new vegetation within the farming areas.
Over time, WOODiWiLD plantings will create a patchwork of plantings across the landscape, stepping stones of vegetation that will assist in the survival of our threatened wildlife.
The reason we plant in the Murray Darling Basin is that the plantings will not only create habitat to improve biodiversity but in some circumstances they will also improve salinity and reduce erosion which in turn improves river water quality within the river catchments.
Your funding support will not only help to address the local extinction of Australia’s animals and plants , but it will also help with the global issue of climate change through the sequestration of CO2.
5. How long will the plantations be there for ?
The landholders on whose property the plantings are established are required to leave the planting area in place for a minimum period of 20 years. We anticipate that Government regulation will make it unlikely that landholders will be able to remove the established biodiversity plantings after this time.
6. Who looks after the trees ?
Our approach is simple and efficient, as we work with motivated farmers and professionally contract the planting and maintenance of the plantations. This results in accelerated plantings, increased plantations and a consequent increase in the habitat created for wildlife and the amount of CO2 captured. Once they are established, the trees are left to create natural habitat.
7. Who owns the trees ?
The trees are owned by the landholder on whose land they are planted.