Method & Technic:

• Bush Regeneration
• Biobanking

Project Outcomes:

Our team promoted self-seeding and enhanced resilience through effective ecological management practices.

Before	After

Before	After

Method & Technic:

• Aquatic Weed Treatment
• Broadscale Herbicide Spraying

Project Outcomes:

Intensive management of Limnobium laevigatum with a goal to achieve 80% reduction of priority weeds through primary, secondary and maintenance weed control.

Before	After

Before	After

Method & Technic:

• Aquatic Weed Treatment
• Broadscale Herbicide Spraying
• Bush Regeneration
• Revegetation

Endangered Ecological Communities:

• Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest
• Swamp Sclerophyll Forest
• Sydney Freshwater Wetlands

Project Outcomes:

Our team successfully implemented effective control measures for aquatic weeds, including Alternanthera philoxeroides and Ludwigia peruviana, to restore balance to the ecosystem. Following treatment, native regeneration of Melaleuca was observed, revitalizing the smothered Melaleuca Swamp Forest. To further support regeneration and enhance biodiversity, native species were strategically installed in highly disturbed areas, protecting the swamp forest and improving the site’s overall visual amenity. These efforts transformed site conditions from very poor/poor to fair/good, particularly in the Endangered Ecological Community (EEC) areas.

Before	After

Before	After

Record-breaking temperatures and months of severe drought have fuelled a series of massive bushfires across Australia.

Both Hornsby and Northern Beaches Council ordered urgent fuel reduction works and Asset Protection Zone (APZ) installation and/or maintenance within their Council areas and reserves. Due possible threat of the fires entering the Kur-ring-ai Chase National Park and with the true spread of devastation across the country it became a focus to increase the protection of the community from the fires reaching their homes.

The days started early and finished late, weekends were not for relaxing. It took collaboration between Dragonfly staff and local council to make sure that we got every mapped out area cleared and safe from fine fuels and combustible materials. This works was needed within a short time frame and a huge area was needed to be covered. The smell of smoke and the haze that filled our skies, the knowing of people losing their homes, fire-fighters risking their lives gave the team an essential motivation. This was to make sure we contributed everything to secure the path for those who need to fight the battle of the flames if the fires where to come into the national park. Here it is when you see the Dragonfly Environmental family pull it together, support and encourage one another in high spirited encouragement to get through a long and tireless day.

The APZ sites work areas are located on the interface between bushland and an asset at risk from bushfires, are generally 10 m in width and vary in length. Assets include private or public structures/items, sites of cultural and/or biological significance. For the purposes of these works, assets are primarily residential dwellings.

Sites are designed to provide a fuel reduced area which:

• facilitates fire fighter access,
• containment lines if requried
• prevents direct flame contact
• reduces heat radiation impacts from a bush fire
• Promote/maintain appropriate overall fuel levels
• Promote/maintain discontinuous fuel
• promote/maintain/establish appropriate species
• Promote soil stability
• Target weeds
• Facilitate expansion of appropriate native species
• Control weed dispersal
• Keep ground covers as intact as possible

The primary purpose of these works is to reduce or maintain appropriate fuel loads and promote ongoing vegetation and soil stability. Approaches range from broad scale general fuel management to fine scale bush regeneration.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7Ck2zogT92/?igshid=o3v3mb6pekal

We would like to acknowledge all the courage and bravery from all the people out fighting the fires, leaving their jobs to volunteer, RFS, Wild Life Services, Wires, SES, Red Cross and so many more. To those who took time and care in rescuing animals, supporting those who have lost and suffered, cooking meals for those in need and volunteered, donated and supported people in need, Thank You.

Method & Technic:

• Bush Regeneration
• Asset Protection Zones
• Endangered Ecological Communities
• Endangered Species

With smoke from the bush fires thickening the air and the devastating news of fires raging through Australia, plans and preparation are required to avoid the worse outcomes. We are so fortunate to be surrounded by a vast amount of bushland; however, the risk of bush fire becomes a significant threat to lives, property and the environment.

Northern Beaches Council had made plans for many of their reserves and one in particular, Palmgrove park in Avalon had prescribed a controlled burn plan, but plans had to change due to two very sweet and fluffy Powerful owl chicks present in the park.

The Powerful Owl, Ninox strenua, is Australia’s largest owl and when you encounter one in the bush it is truly awesome. They usually roost during the day amongst dense leafy foliage of trees and shrubs and so protecting this habitat is crucial, sadly the owls are adversely affected by land clearing. Dragonfly crew had to take extreme care and consideration to carefully not disturb the chicks too much and manually remove plant materials.

Ecological burning is undertaken to replicate the natural fire cycle. Each native vegetation community has particular fire needs, and controlled burning assists these natural processes, helping to stimulate native plant regeneration and enhancing biodiversity. It also aids in weed control.

Palmgrove Park contains a significant stand of Cabbage Tree Palms as part of the Littoral Rainforest (EEC) and Pittwater Wagstaffe Spotted Gum Forest (EEC). The scope of this project was to manually remove fine fuels and plant material which would have otherwise been burned. Clearing and diminishing available fuels within the area to reduce against the spread of a bush fire, keeping the residents and wildlife safe.

Removing mid-storey Palm fronds still attached to the Livistona australis to prevent laddering into the canopy. Completed maintenance works within high resilience areas down the bottom of the Reserve targeting seeding grasses and annuals throughout native ground vegetation. Species targeted were Bidens pilosa, Solanum nigrum, Sonchus sp, Ehrharta erecta, Poa sp, Conyza sp, Bromus sp, Brisa sp, Gamochaeta sp and Ageratina riparia.

Happy to report that the chicks felt safe and sound, perched high above looking down upon the Dragonfly crew, monitoring every move. Whilst the Dragonfly crew working on the ground looking up making sure that the chicks did not feel threatened or stressed by the clearing.

Client; Northern Beaches Council

Location: Palmgrove Park, Avalon

A small strip of very degraded creek line, dominated by Privets (Ligustrum sinense and L. lucidem), Lantana camara and the exotic fern Nephrolepis cordifolia (and loads of Asbestos), has been transformed into a reconstructed riparian zone representative of the Endangered Ecological Community –  Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest (STIF), that would have once existed in the area. The plantings chill side by side with the powerful canopy trees of Sydney Turpentine Syncarpia glomulifera, Angophora costata and Blue Gums Eucalyptus saligna, that tower over the site. Other areas have also been planted with STIF species, creating small bushgardens that will provide habitat to native fauna in years to come. Over 10,000 plants were installed overall, including canopy, shrub and ground layer species. Give it 10-20 years and it’ll be banging in there!

The biggest surprise of this project was that there was one section that was previously all turf grass that was constantly mown and, after spraying and revegetation, a great diversity of native groundcovers has emerged out of nowhere! Lush patches of White root (Pratia purpurascens), Lesser joyweed (Alternanthera denticulata), the native grass Entolasia, and the delicate, twining Glycine have popped up and are now thriving alongside the plantings. Just goes to show what happens when you give natives a chance! Julian Reyes, the supervisor for this project would like to give a big shout out to all the incredible Dragonfly Natural Area Specialists involved in the project!