Montville Slip Site

Recently an individual contacted me regarding works on a minor slip site in Montville, Queensland. A large-scale planting project integrating a small amount of Vetiver on the slope amongst Araucaria Pines and rainforest trees below.

A road is being threatened by small rotational failures (landslips) due to high rainfall and spring activity which the extent had been hidden under years of Lantana growth. After clearing, the owner had done their research and decided that Vetiver could be an option to secure the slope while the planting established itself. Amongst basalt rocks and sliding soil, Vetiver has begun to be planted and the photos are the results of 500 planted on the first day. The owner may set up a nursery close to the slip to build from an extra 500 that have been planted after these photos.

These works due to the topography and rocks present under the soil result in uneven hedges as the placing is limited where a person can stand and where they can dig freely. This is similar to the North Maleny site that I have done earlier. As the Montville site is also a regen planting, 12 months on from the Vetiver establishing, plants may be placed and regeneration encouraged between the assorted hedges to help encourage the site back to forest. In this situation, the Vetiver is an successional insurance policy while a forest establishes as rotational failures are difficult to control on Blackall Range geology and sites with steep or poor access.

Update 18/1/2022: