In 2020, after a season of devastating bushfires, we decided to do what we could to help our environment and the climate. The plan was to plant thousands of trees – revegetating landscape and capturing carbon. We had recently purchased 30 hectares of degraded farmland on French Island. The goal was to:

• create a beautiful heathy woodland, resembling its original state
• capture a lot of carbon – in trees, plants and the soil
• provide habitat for native wildlife, creating a wildlife corridor connecting two separated areas of national park

It became obvious that a lot of people shared our frustrations on climate change and environmental degradation, and were also looking for a way to do something. Many were happy to support our project, so French Island 5000 Trees was born – a team effort. We also hooked up with:

• Landcare (French Island)
• Friends of French Island
• Land for Wildlife – DWELP

French Island proved to be an ideal place for environmental restoration.  Due to limited vehicle access it has remained under-developed for decades. Seventy percent of the island is National Park. It is fox free, feral cats are being eradicated, and the island has one of Australia’s healthiest koala populations.

Working with Trust for Nature, we have now put a covenant on this land, to ensure all this good work remains protected for future generations.