Koalas being cared for by Campbelltown’s dedicated community of wildlife carers will soon have access to a buffet of food at Mansfield Creek Reserve in St Helens Park.
Campbelltown Council staff joined Sydney Wildlife and WIRES volunteers to plant 500 native trees and shrubs recently, which will be harvested by wildlife carers in the future to provide leaf for koalas in care.
The planting is one of five sites across Campbelltown which contain a variety of native tree species that are ideal for feeding koalas, including species such as grey gums and iron-barks.
“This latest plantation means we now have about 20,000 trees and shrubs across the five sites which are used exclusively by local wildlife carers to make sure koalas in care have access to a high quality food source,” says Mayor of Campbelltown Darcy Lound.
“The other sites already have mature trees which are being harvested for feed but this latest collaboration with our wonderful WIRES and Sydney Wildlife volunteers means we’ll now have a harvesting site closer to home for many of the volunteers,” Mayor Lound said.
The trees will be allowed to grow to between four and five metres high before they are either pollarded or coppiced, a traditional European form of tree management that involves cutting the young trees at chest or ankle height.
This technique stimulates the growth of a mass of young shoots and leaves which can be easily harvested for koala food.
Several trees will be allowed to grow to full size to provide structural variety to the plantation, enhancing both its biodiversity and landscape values within the local reserve.