The Greening Challenge by Men of the Trees involved the planting of 35,000 seedlings in the East Beverley region of the Wheatbelt.

James Stokes has a property in Cunderdin adjacent to the Mortlock River, in an area where there are salinity issues.

The Walbrininy Ngulla Aboriginal Corporation applied to Wheatbelt NRM in 2012 for Small Community Grant in order to identify birds and mammals in need, provide nesting boxes for wildlife, identify and survey bush tucker and medicinal plants in and around Deep Pool Reserve, and revegetate the area.

Morbinning Hall Reserve is a 31 Ha reserve located within the Shire of Beverley, where there is less than 4% of remnant vegetation.

The Shire of Quairading and the local Noongar community were keen to enhance the natural environment and visitor Precinct within “The Groves” in Quairading Nature Reserve, so they applied to Wheatbelt NRM in 2012 for a Small Community Grant.

Each year we pick a theme unique to our special corner of the world, and this year we wanted to highlight an often overlooked but crucial link in our ecosystem: the noble Tree

There has been much change and a bit of turmoil at Wheatbelt NRM this year and I admire the CEO and staff for their stamina, passion and resilience in making sure we successfully completed the final year of the Regional Lands Partnership whilst also preparing our tender response for the next five years of this fee for service program.

The Hambly family purchased their property in 2005 and had no experience with oil mallee planting prior to that time.

Bob Huxley comes from a family that has been farming at Gabbin in the eastern central Wheatbelt since 1922

Increasing salinity, wind erosion and chemical drift were all issues facing this Lake Bryde farm.

Tom and Donna Henning have long had an interest in tree crops – both for the benefits trees bring to the land and for the long term commercial potential.

Kit Leake and his family are primarily wheat farmers and have been involved in farming for four generations.

If you have unproductive land, chances are Brookton farmer Andrew Pike knows what to do with it.

Mario Varone and his family started farming in SE Hyden in 1957.

Mario Varone and his family started farming in SE Hyden in 1957.

Both families are members of the Facey Group, which is the regional farmer run group working on research, information sharing, trials and experimentation aimed at improving farm practices to keep farms healthy and profitable and the region sustainable into the future.

The opportunity for farmers in marginal areas to include perennials in their production systems is brightening, with new plant species belonging to the genus Rhagodia being trialled for their suitability as alternative perennial fodder shrubs in the lower rainfall agricultural regions of WA.

Trevor grew up on a farm in Coorow and only moved to Bolgart in 1994 when he and his parents bought ‘Waddi Park’. Recently the property has been mainly managed by Trevor and his wife Renae.

The Upper Great Southern Oil Mallee Growers Association initially contacted Wheatbelt NRM to assist them in addressing the number one concern amongst farmers who have integrated mallees on their properties – edge effect.

In 2011 David and Don Thomson commenced planting oil mallee seedlings in alleys through their Wheatbelt NRM Soil Conservation Incentives project.