Vegetation projects require meticulous planning and execution to ensure the sites are durable against disaster-scale weather events, whether the site’s been freshly planted or part of a multi-year project.

The most recent flooding event put our sites to the test. Our project managers have been out assessing each site and are reporting that, on the whole, they’ve held up well.

They’ve shared a few reasons why:

1. Thorough hydrology-informed ground preparation.
2. Choosing high-quality local tube stock.
3. Diligent early maintenance of planted sites.
4. Ongoing long-term maintenance.

These elements are crucial in bolstering the vegetation’s ability to survive and thrive despite flood events. Let’s dive a little deeper into each of these.

1. Good preparation:  setting solid foundations based on local knowledge and best practice

Prior preparation and planning… the first tip is to understand the site first. There's no one size fits all when it comes to planting solutions because each site is so different. On-site assessments are crucial to help work out the site-specific and catchment-wide hydrology and the soil composition.

This essential information allows us to select the right species mix to plant at each site. Coupled with groundworks to prepare the site (including engineered drainage systems and considerations for the unique spatial arrangement of plants), good preparation is the essential foundation in building resilience into a site so sites can better withstand flooding events.

2. Choosing quality over cost:  selecting high-quality local tube stock

Healthy high-quality native plants and seedlings sourced close to vegetation sites may be more costly upfront, but are far more likely to establish stronger root systems quickly, saving time and money in the long run.

Superior tube stock with robust roots help anchor plants during flood events, preventing erosion, enhancing water absorption, and reducing the likelihood of plant die off. This also gives freshly planted sites the best chance if faced with an unexpected weather event early in the growing cycle. A great place to start is talking to a reputable local supplier.

3. Early maintenance:  starting off on the right foot is key to nurturing success

Once the plants are in the ground, it’s a race against time to make sure the site is established before the next weather event tests their strength. Our teams pay a lot of early attention to the sites to lay the groundwork for a resilient and self-sustaining vegetation system. This includes regular watering, mulching, fertilising and protection from pests. Early intervention to address signs of distress or damage can prevent weak shallow roots and shortcut issues before they take root (pardon the pun).

4. Ongoing monitoring and maintenance:  plants aren’t set and forget

Staying on top of emerging issues proactively can also save time and money in the long run. Our long-term project sites undergo continual monitoring and maintenance to boost bank resilience. Keeping established native vegetation on streambanks as healthy as possible to maximise growth rates builds site resilience to variability in rainfall and the stream power of flood events. This can be seen in how well multiple sites stood up to the test during the recent deluge. The healthy vegetation also helps reduce stream power, lessening the impact of flooding downstream.

Environmental changes are inevitable, making regular site assessments critical. By continually evaluating plant health and hydrologic impacts, we can implement simpler, more cost-effective early interventions to safeguard infrastructure and reduce negative impacts on water quality, before issues escalate.

Reflections from the field after Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred

It was beautiful to see that [Laidley] creek banks, which were bare and eroded 10 years ago, have now bounced back with native vegetation that are able to withstand major flooding events. Getting to this outcome involves a significant effort from many stakeholders, from policy makers to industry players with a long-term vision, technical experts, the dedicated on-ground delivery team and last but not least, the landholders. Flooding can have devastating effects, but my visit yesterday reminded me that flooding is also a natural event, supporting many processes and ecosystems.
Vanessa Durand,  Project Engineer for multiple riverine restoration sites and projects along Laidley Creek
We visited our sites in Harrisville, Grandchester and Purga after Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred and we’re very happy with how they’ve persisted. Only two were in riparian areas, and though this area should have been the most impacted, all sites fared well considering the conditions in surrounding areas. The tree plantings look lush and have received a good soaking. The riparian zones held up well with the majority of plants intact and the newly established roots did well in limiting soil erosion from the banks. The only setback was downed electric fencing allowing cattle to get in and graze on some of the new plants. Flooding events put our work to the test, but I am feeling positive about the bounce back of the sites.
	Indigo Kuss-Patterson,  Environmental Project Officer