Students helping replant Bangor fire zone

Solomontown Primary School students, in partnership with Forestry SA and the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, are getting their hands dirty to assist in the revegetation of areas affected by the Bangor fire in January and February this year.

A community grant from the Northern and Yorke Natural Resources Management Board’s (NRM) Upper North Group has facilitated the partnership, which has included information sessions and a visit to the fire-affected area.

Natural Resources Northern and Yorke Community Ranger Sam Everingham says the partnership is working well, with students playing a hands-on role in the revegetation of the area as well as building their knowledge of the environment.

“The students at Solomontown Primary School watched the fire from the Port Pirie side of the range when it was highly visible and with the support of their teacher Emma Rose, became interested in the ecological effect of wild fire on our native bushland and landscapes,” he says.

“By establishing this partnership, I was able to speak to the students, along with Wirrabara Forest Friends group member Amy Royans, and show them photos and video of the fire, the recovery of native bushland, as well as give a practical lesson on plant germination and propagation.”

During the session, students successfully propagated scrubby cypress pine, scarlet bottlebrush, pink garland-lily and grey box plants that will be planted out into the fire affected area in 2015 by the Wirrabara Forest Friends group.

This was followed by a visit to Wirrabara Forest.

“The day included a small tour of the forest including a visit to a 400 year old red gum named King Tree, a talk on the connection between native plants and animals, the negative effects of pest plants and animals as well as the history of Wirrabara forest reserve,” Mr Everingham says.

“The students planted out 200 trees and shrubs in an area affected by the fire, and have made a huge difference to the recovering landscape.”

Mr Everingham says the partnership has been beneficial to all parties.

“It’s been a very beneficial partnership, both in terms of the learning opportunities for the students and in raising student knowledge and awareness of their local environment and its recovery” he says.