Project update – March
Save the date – community planting days 2018
Heavy rains may have caused havoc in some parts of the capital recently, but the 100mm downfall provided welcome relief to 3500 shrubs planted by community volunteers at Ginninderra in May 2017.
CSIRO ecologist, Jacqui Stol reports seeing excellent survival rates and good growth in the plants across the sites, particularly among Acacia species some of which are topping a metre or more in height. Thanks again to the local residents, Scout groups, Aboriginal Green Army and wider community who played their part in the 2017 plantings!
Above: Shrubs planted during CSIRO’s 2017 community planting days are thriving!
The good news is that the local community is invited to get involved in follow-up plantings on 20 and 27 May 2018. We will again be working closely with the Ginninderra Catchment Group and other local community groups to build on the success of last year’s planting days and promote further ecological restoration in the Box Gum Woodlands.
Further information will be available shortly.
Autumn grassland burns
The second round of Autumn burns occurred at the grassland restoration trial sites on Wednesday 7 March. The ACT Rural Fire Service expertly conducted the burns across five sites at CSIRO Ginninderra where the relative success of different burning, mowing and control treatments are being tested through a long-term study.
The Ginninderra Catchment Group and CSIRO Land and Water Research Fellow Dr Ken Hodgkinson are leading this research. We will be reporting soon about some of the early results and findings from this work.
Above: Members of the ACT Rural Fire Service conducting Autumn burns as part of ongoing research into the effects of fire on grassland restoration.
Science planning continues
Science and innovation are distinguishing features of the future Ginninderra development and a key part of the vision to transform the project into a showcase sustainable urban community. CSIRO is continuing to engage our scientists and engineers and bring together the ideas, applications, technologies and systems to be trialled or introduced at Ginninderra.
We will continue to reveal more about the contribution of science and innovation as the project planning unfolds.
If you would like to know more about the Ginninderra Project, visit: www.ginninderraproject.csiro.au or email us at enquiries@ginninderraproject.csiro.au.