August Field Day 2013

Field day at Muswellbrook Forest Nursery on 11 August 2013

Over 20 people gathered at the Muswellbrook Forest Nursery on a perfect late winter’s day. After the customary long morning tea, Pauline Sykes, manager of the nursery took us for an extensive tour of the nursery. Expansion is the word, as the nursery is extending and investing in auto seeding machines. The nursery concentrates on local provenance stock

A couple of dozen Lomandra specimens were potted up after a demonstration that made it look easy.

HFFN member Fred talked about the mysteries of the early life of a Bunya Pine and demonstrated how to get them out of the ground. If you have tried to grow them, had initial growth and then “death”, go and look for the pot now – it is normal and it all happens under the ground.

Pauline talked about collecting seeds and the need for correct labelling and identification. The group went for seed collecting walk in the Muswellbrook State Forest!

Pauline has a love of native plants, a very green thumb and a passion for talking and teaching. Members took advantage of the 10% discount offered by the nursery on the day. It was a great day, thanks to Pauline.

Hunter Farm Forestry Network (HFFN) facilitates the exchange of information about farm forestry and promotes the productive and sustainable use of trees on farms in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia.

Farm Forestry takes many forms including timber belts, windbreaks, revegetation projects and timber production

Farm forestry includes commercial trees and shrubs incorporated into farm operations.

Farm Forestry improves agricultural productivity.

It’s about which tree you want, for the purpose that you want.