I would like to ask how one would manage wild animals and very steep topography with this theory.
We have a farm in the hills in Grattai, NSW which is geographically south, south west of Mudgee. The topography is very steep and we have alot of wild animals due to its remote location.
The idea of improving the country appeals to me and I am currently working on the planting program for our farm.
My problem is that we are not there to activly manage it and therefore before I embark on an idea such as this I need to understand how one deals with these issues.
Steph
Wild animals and steep hills
Moderator: webmaster
What are the problems that you are facing?
Is it the control of runoff?
Is it erosion caused by the runoff?
If it is then I have heard of a technique used on steep plantations whereby trenches are dug around the downhill side of trees growing on the slope.
These collect water and forest mulch and prevent erosion and at the same time control flooding further down in the catchment.
To manage wild animals is a difficult task.
If they are managed then are they wild?
What do you hope to achieve by managing them?
What problems are they causing?
What type of animal are we talking about?
Fences are the obvious control that springs to mind although in this case they may be impractical.
What sort of area are you talking about?
Is it forest or is it cleared?
Is it the control of runoff?
Is it erosion caused by the runoff?
If it is then I have heard of a technique used on steep plantations whereby trenches are dug around the downhill side of trees growing on the slope.
These collect water and forest mulch and prevent erosion and at the same time control flooding further down in the catchment.
To manage wild animals is a difficult task.
If they are managed then are they wild?
What do you hope to achieve by managing them?
What problems are they causing?
What type of animal are we talking about?
Fences are the obvious control that springs to mind although in this case they may be impractical.
What sort of area are you talking about?
Is it forest or is it cleared?
[quote="Ian James"]What are the problems that you are facing?
My initial thought had been the river that runs through the middle of the property. There are very steep hills on either side with poor soil except perhaps at the river edge. Due to increasing water usage up river and subdivision of properties we are now seeing the river stop running. This year past for up to 7 months!!
I had thought that Peter's idea would be a good way of improving from the river and then eventually up the hills but I do not understand how this transition would occur.
At the river edge we get big floods (although I have not seen this) and so we have sharp embankements about 4 meters in that have been formed over time I geuss.
Is it the control of runoff?Is it erosion caused by the runoff?
Yes there are run off issues as there is little soil left on the steep hills and any decent soil is only found at some points along the river. Is it forest or is it cleared?
A t the moment it is just steep cleared hillside. As it is gold country the land was cleared by ring barking the trees and they have been left on the steep hills. The soil is mostly shale rock with a bit of clay top soil. There are some patches of trees and native pines along the river.
If it is then I have heard of a technique used on steep plantations whereby trenches are dug around the downhill side of trees growing on the slope.
These collect water and forest mulch and prevent erosion and at the same time control flooding further down in the catchment.
To manage wild animals is a difficult task. If they are managed then are they wild?What do you hope to achieve by managing them? What problems are they causing? What type of animal are we talking about?
The animals we have are goats, kangaroos and wallabies, some pig, rabbits, foxes. As we are not around and our neighbours have not maintained the boundary fences well we have no real way of keeping them out. My husband also hunts so he culls them when we are up there but we just can't keep up realistically. I geuss the problem we have is that they eat EVERYTHING. So if we were to use Peters ideas then will the weeds etc survive the animals?
Fences are the obvious control that springs to mind although in this case they may be impractical.
What sort of area are you talking about?
About 3,000 acres.
Any help you can offer would be appreciated.
Stpeh
My initial thought had been the river that runs through the middle of the property. There are very steep hills on either side with poor soil except perhaps at the river edge. Due to increasing water usage up river and subdivision of properties we are now seeing the river stop running. This year past for up to 7 months!!I had thought that Peter's idea would be a good way of improving from the river and then eventually up the hills but I do not understand how this transition would occur.
At the river edge we get big floods (although I have not seen this) and so we have sharp embankements about 4 meters in that have been formed over time I geuss.
Is it the control of runoff?Is it erosion caused by the runoff?
Yes there are run off issues as there is little soil left on the steep hills and any decent soil is only found at some points along the river. Is it forest or is it cleared? A t the moment it is just steep cleared hillside. As it is gold country the land was cleared by ring barking the trees and they have been left on the steep hills. The soil is mostly shale rock with a bit of clay top soil. There are some patches of trees and native pines along the river.If it is then I have heard of a technique used on steep plantations whereby trenches are dug around the downhill side of trees growing on the slope.
These collect water and forest mulch and prevent erosion and at the same time control flooding further down in the catchment.
To manage wild animals is a difficult task. If they are managed then are they wild?What do you hope to achieve by managing them? What problems are they causing? What type of animal are we talking about?
The animals we have are goats, kangaroos and wallabies, some pig, rabbits, foxes. As we are not around and our neighbours have not maintained the boundary fences well we have no real way of keeping them out. My husband also hunts so he culls them when we are up there but we just can't keep up realistically. I geuss the problem we have is that they eat EVERYTHING. So if we were to use Peters ideas then will the weeds etc survive the animals?Fences are the obvious control that springs to mind although in this case they may be impractical.
What sort of area are you talking about?
About 3,000 acres.Any help you can offer would be appreciated.
Stpeh
Wow!
That really sounds like a wild bit of country!
Not fun to fence and expensive.
Just from what you write, I get the feeling that your place needs trees first and foremost and lots of them.
It doesn't sound as if you plan to crop the land for profit, more like you just want to restore it to health.
Well done and what a noble cause.
Trees is where you should start.
I know the vermin will eat the seedlings but the way to beat them is by shear weight of numbers.
Plant lots of trees.
There are ways to achieve this depending on the site conditions.
Tree seedlings don't have to cost a lot.
Some are as little as $30/ 1000.
Get yourself some nature corridors planted along the contour, this is a band of assorted trees about 10 to 20 m in width.
This will help against erosion and will give the animals shelter.
I don't think that the animals are really a bad thing, it's just finding a sustainable balanced population.
As for the river, well thats out of my league.
Hopefully Duane can talk to Peter and get you some expert advice.
What is the rainfall in your area?
Is it summer or winter rainfall that provides growth?
Trees can be planted by seed too remember, you may have to cultivate them in though.
It would all need to be timed to fit your season or it would be a wasted effort.
If you are unsure you could always start a trial patch to learn from.
On our sheep station we used to fence of a small plot from the sheep and vermin and try to establish a trial planting.
Hope this helps
That really sounds like a wild bit of country!
Not fun to fence and expensive.
Just from what you write, I get the feeling that your place needs trees first and foremost and lots of them.
It doesn't sound as if you plan to crop the land for profit, more like you just want to restore it to health.
Well done and what a noble cause.
Trees is where you should start.
I know the vermin will eat the seedlings but the way to beat them is by shear weight of numbers.
Plant lots of trees.
There are ways to achieve this depending on the site conditions.
Tree seedlings don't have to cost a lot.
Some are as little as $30/ 1000.
Get yourself some nature corridors planted along the contour, this is a band of assorted trees about 10 to 20 m in width.
This will help against erosion and will give the animals shelter.
I don't think that the animals are really a bad thing, it's just finding a sustainable balanced population.
As for the river, well thats out of my league.
Hopefully Duane can talk to Peter and get you some expert advice.
What is the rainfall in your area?
Is it summer or winter rainfall that provides growth?
Trees can be planted by seed too remember, you may have to cultivate them in though.
It would all need to be timed to fit your season or it would be a wasted effort.
If you are unsure you could always start a trial patch to learn from.
On our sheep station we used to fence of a small plot from the sheep and vermin and try to establish a trial planting.
Hope this helps
Ian James wrote:Wow!
That really sounds like a wild bit of country! Not fun to fence and expensive.
Just from what you write, I get the feeling that your place needs trees first and foremost and lots of them. It doesn't sound as if you plan to crop the land for profit, more like you just want to restore it to health. Well done and what a noble cause. Trees is where you should start. I know the vermin will eat the seedlings but the way to beat them is by shear weight of numbers. Plant lots of trees.
There are ways to achieve this depending on the site conditions. Tree seedlings don't have to cost a lot. Some are as little as $30/ 1000. Get yourself some nature corridors planted along the contour, this is a band of assorted trees about 10 to 20 m in width.
Hopefully Duane can talk to Peter and get you some expert advice.
I have heard back from Duane but no real solutions for the river at this stage.
What is the rainfall in your area?
Is it summer or winter rainfall that provides growth?
Hope this helps
You really have to work with the rain that you have to make the most of it.
If you are in a winter rainfall area as you say then the time to plant is in May most likely.
By the time summer comes the trees will have their roots well enough established to survive a dry spell.
Start with trees that are most likely to survive hardship.
You will be amazed by how durable some varieties are in the face of drought.
To choose which varieties to plant you should consult the Ag. Department in your area or a local nursery.
Don't go to a garden nursery but a farm tree nursery.
You won’t be using a bulldozer to plant those trees that would be a mistake.
You wouldn't want that sort of machine on the slopes destabilizing the top soils, which would be a recipe for erosion.
Can you get around in a 4WD jeep or some such?
If so then see if you can get a set of harrows from a local farmer, just wide enough to cover the tracks the Ute makes.
You may find if you plant at the right time that by sprinkling seed from the back of the Ute and dragging the harrows over the seed to cover it with a little earth that they may well germinate and establish.
The thing with planting at peak growing season is that the animals will have a large choice of feed to graze instead of them just targeting your trial trees.
That will give them a bit of a chance too.
50ml a month, sounds like a high rainfall zone to me, especially if that is the average monthly fall.
That calculates to 600ml a year, if that is the case then you will have a huge success no matter how short of soil you are on those hills.
It's just a matter of choosing the right sort of tree or shrub to start with.
Remember as you improve the ecology of your soils it will become easier and easier to introduce newer and less hardy plants.
The trick is to get some health restored by using the toughest plants and then eventually getting to the stage where anything will grow as health returns to the soils.
If you are in a winter rainfall area as you say then the time to plant is in May most likely.
By the time summer comes the trees will have their roots well enough established to survive a dry spell.
Start with trees that are most likely to survive hardship.
You will be amazed by how durable some varieties are in the face of drought.
To choose which varieties to plant you should consult the Ag. Department in your area or a local nursery.
Don't go to a garden nursery but a farm tree nursery.
You won’t be using a bulldozer to plant those trees that would be a mistake.
You wouldn't want that sort of machine on the slopes destabilizing the top soils, which would be a recipe for erosion.
Can you get around in a 4WD jeep or some such?
If so then see if you can get a set of harrows from a local farmer, just wide enough to cover the tracks the Ute makes.
You may find if you plant at the right time that by sprinkling seed from the back of the Ute and dragging the harrows over the seed to cover it with a little earth that they may well germinate and establish.
The thing with planting at peak growing season is that the animals will have a large choice of feed to graze instead of them just targeting your trial trees.
That will give them a bit of a chance too.
50ml a month, sounds like a high rainfall zone to me, especially if that is the average monthly fall.
That calculates to 600ml a year, if that is the case then you will have a huge success no matter how short of soil you are on those hills.
It's just a matter of choosing the right sort of tree or shrub to start with.
Remember as you improve the ecology of your soils it will become easier and easier to introduce newer and less hardy plants.
The trick is to get some health restored by using the toughest plants and then eventually getting to the stage where anything will grow as health returns to the soils.
I will make enquiries next week for tree nurseries in the area. I don't think there is but I will double check.
Many of the slopes we can not get a vehicle on at all (other than a motorbike) but you make a great point about errosion.
Also a good point about the wild animals having alot of choise. I think I will start with one of the easier hills and see what happens.
Thanks for all your wonderful suggestions.
Many of the slopes we can not get a vehicle on at all (other than a motorbike) but you make a great point about errosion.
Also a good point about the wild animals having alot of choise. I think I will start with one of the easier hills and see what happens.
Thanks for all your wonderful suggestions.
Stephanie
I came thru your area last week on the way to Mudgee....the evidence of complete tree removal on these slopes was self evident.
The reason for the water in the river not running is multi....but Sydney Water Catchment has figures which show that areas in their catchments where vegetation has been removed yields 30% less runoff over time than areas that are treed.
The contrast is the landscape between Lithgow and Ilford and Ilford and Mudgee was noticeable. The former landscape was covered in much greater areas of vegetation and the climate was cooler and green. By contrast the 2nd area had huge ammounts of cleared vegetation...the landscape was hotter and drier.
You should try putting that photo on this forum that you sent to me to show everyone what you are dealing with.
I came thru your area last week on the way to Mudgee....the evidence of complete tree removal on these slopes was self evident.
The reason for the water in the river not running is multi....but Sydney Water Catchment has figures which show that areas in their catchments where vegetation has been removed yields 30% less runoff over time than areas that are treed.
The contrast is the landscape between Lithgow and Ilford and Ilford and Mudgee was noticeable. The former landscape was covered in much greater areas of vegetation and the climate was cooler and green. By contrast the 2nd area had huge ammounts of cleared vegetation...the landscape was hotter and drier.
You should try putting that photo on this forum that you sent to me to show everyone what you are dealing with.