Learning about Landscape Rehydration
Nolani McColl has recently joined the Mulloon Institute as Science Officer and as a Landscape Planner with Mulloon Consulting Certifying & Contracting. Here she recounts her experience on the Natural Sequence Farming course with Tarwyn Park Training (TPT).
We began our training at Martin Royd’s property Jillamatong in Braidwood which demonstrated natural sequence farming in action. Martin was very generous with his time, showing us that by installing leaky weirs he’s rehydrated the landscape, improved production and reinstated a permanent flow of water through the system.
We then spent the next four days on the Home Farm at Mulloon Creek Natural Farms where we learnt to read the landscape. I now know about alluvial fans, floodplains and swampy meadows, runnel’s, contour banks and how our Australian landscape was filled with millions of chains of ponds.
Learning how to use a dumpy level with Stuart Andrews (TPT) .
We learnt the importance of slowing water down by installing contour banks and ponds on the high ground to rehydrate the landscape and redistribute fertility from the accumulation zone, through the productive zone and into the filtration zone.
Using a grader blade to install a double contour.
We redefined weeds. They are now repair plants or nursery plants or indicator plants. We discussed their role in landscape repair and acknowledged that Mother Earth probably knows more than we do!
We discussed the role of animals in the landscape – that they should be cared for and managed to help improve the lands fertility. For example, by allowing your animals to be managed into smaller spaces with access to more productive areas as well as higher ground to ruminate and rest so that their fertility is distributed via gravity back down into the productive zone.
Finally we explored the filtration zone where riparian and aquatic plants are used as tools to pick up the nutrients and recycle them, ensuring that the water flowing away is clean. A closed loop is ideal, and if you can collect vegetation from this zone back to the top of the hill, then your animals don’t need to access this special area and you are not exporting your fertility.
Slow the flow…
Let all plants grow…
Be careful where the animals (stock) go…
Remember to filter the flow, is a must know…
“The stand-out message for me was the importance of slowing down the flow of water, especially after large rain-fall events and that this can be achieved through the installation of structures and the strategic placement of plants.”
Nolani at the hill ponds installed on contour at Duralla, MCNF