MEDIA RELEASE - 29 November 2022
Over 80,000 seedlings have been planted by a North Queensland forest builder and teams of volunteers local since 2016 as part of efforts to support the region's crucial ecosystems.
The man behind the movement is Brett Krause, who planted the nation's first Miyawaki forest in the Cassowary Coast region of Tropical North Queensland. Brett has volunteered for Australia's largest tree planting campaign National Tree Day for more than seven years, making him one of the longest running National Tree Day coordinators.
"I started forest building because I wanted to prove one person can make a difference," Brett said when asked why he set out on his forest building mission.
Brett builds forests using the Miyawaki method of afforestation, a technique for vegetating previously unforested areas of land in a short period of time. They are also known as 'microforests' or 'tiny' forests because they can be planted on land as small as a few parking spots.
The tiny footprint of the Miyawaki forest is densely planted with layers that emulate a larger forest, complete with forest floor, understorey and tree canopy. They can grow 10 times faster and 30 times denser compared to conventional plantations, while contributing to carbon sequestration and helping communities adapt to rising temperatures.
Using this technique, Brett and his team of volunteers have created habitat for endangered and threatened species including the Southern Cassowary and Mahogany Glider. Brett describes the Miyawaki technique as the "best thing since sliced bread".
Volunteers will be digging in at tree-planting events with Brett and in other locations around North Queensland for Planet Ark's Tropical Tree Day (December 4). The celebration is part of the National Tree Day campaign, which encourages Australians to connect with nature and their local community by planting a tree.
The call-to-action comes with new research showing that seven out of ten Australians agree individual actions can have a positive impact on global environmental issues. "These results clearly show Australians want to have a positive impact on the environment and one of the simplest things we can do to support nature is to plant a tree," said Planet Ark CEO Rebecca Gilling.
"With that one small action you can help cool the climate, provide homes for native wildlife, and make your community a better place to live."
Planet Ark's Seedling Bank empowers schools and community groups to undertake regeneration projects by providing financial support to buy native seedlings. Brett and his team of volunteers are just one of the groups who have benefited from the Seedling Bank since its launch in 2019. "Over 90 groups have received funding to plant over 39,000 seedlings around Australia," said Rebecca Gilling.
The next round of grants from Planet Ark's Seedling Bank opens Monday 28 November. To apply for a grant or to volunteer at a Tropical Tree Day site visit treeday.planetark.org.
