Project: Large-scale planting and monitoring
Client: Reforest
2026 – Ongoing
Reforest is a social enterprise that connects tourism, travel, and events with high-integrity local reforestation projects.
Reforest’s planting project at the Hidden Vale Koala Habitat, around an hour west of Brisbane, is a collaboration with the Turner Family Foundation and the Flight Centre Travel Group. The project aims to plant 14,000 trees to help restore habitat and create wildlife corridors for native fauna including koalas, wallabies, and sugar gliders.
Project scope
Ausecology was engaged to support Reforest with the large-scale tree planting at the Hidden Vale site. The project involves delivering an end-to-end planting solution from assessing the site conditions and planning the planting, to sourcing seedlings and installing tubestock, to the ongoing maintenance of trees to give them the best chance of survival.
Setting up for success
Ausecology combined our GIS mapping capability with existing regional ecosystem maps to determine a species list, then engaged several local nurseries to propagate and source seedlings. A planting of this scale can take between 3-6 months for seedlings to become available and lining up tubestock availability with ideal seasonal conditions for planting is critical. Ausecology’s deep expertise in project management and revegetation, supported by ecological science, allowed us to secure the plant stock and schedule planting based on season, weather conditions, and soil type.
Expert implementation
The Hidden Vale planting took place over several weeks and involved using machinery to clear the site of weeds and till the soil, then planting and watering thousands of seedlings by hand. Once the seedlings were planted, Ausecology revegetation crews returned to the site weekly to water and every two months to perform weed control. Our revegetation supervisors will continue to monitor the site every 6 months to report on growth and population health.
The outcome
Ausecology planted across 7.8 hectares at a density of ~2000 seedlings/ha. 37 unique flora species were used, including Eucalyptus spp., Lophostemon spp., Corymbia spp., Acacia spp., Ficus spp., Melaleuca spp., and Syzygium spp.
The level of careful planning, on-ground expertise, and ongoing maintenance from Ausecology will help ensure the long-term success and biodiversity outcomes in the Hidden Vale. To date, Ausecology planted 14,000 seedlings which met survival rate targets, allowing Reforest and the Flight Centre Travel group to hit sustainability goals and support the protection and restoration of Australia’s unique ecosystems, flora, and fauna.