Made the trek out to the re-vegetation site for the first time since the planting was done which was a bit over two months ago.
From looking around the site there was both good and bad news. First the good, there was virtually no sign of any Wallabies managing to get to chew any of the new seedlings, despite the fact I heard one hopping away when I reached the site. There was good fresh new growth on all the seedlings that I found, hopefully when they become more conspicuous as they get taller the wallabies will still find them too difficult to reach. The bad news is that after seeing very, few new seedlings of Sycamore Maple
at the site during the plantings in August there has now been a big change with some areas of the site peppered with seedlings that are up to 6 inches tall.
Stumps that had been cut and poisoned over 2 years ago also have vigorous sprouts re-shooting from their bases.
There will be a lot of work for the Friends over the next few years to control this weed until its Seedbank has been exhausted.
You can see how vigorous they are with one seedling sprouting from a point several metres up a dead tree (unless the tree itself has re-sprouted).
Another thing observed at the site which could be of concern were the presence of some small egg shaped droppings. After consulting my scat book they seem to most resemble those produced by a species of Deer. (Yes I am fairly certain they are not Wallaby)
If Deer are resident at the site they may pose a threat to the newly planted trees as they grow via trampling and rubbing. They could also potentially have an impact on the surrounding rainforest.
Friends of Tarra-Bulga National Park 