“In just one morning’s work, we can revitalise an ecosystem and allow life to flourish.” This is what makes ACG Strathallan’s Trees for Survival programme so rewarding for year 13 student, Emery Emslie-Wood.
Established in the 1990s, Trees for Survival aims to prevent erosion and improve stream flow and water quality by planting trees on areas of unstable land. Strathallan is one of 223 schools throughout the country working on restoration projects with local landowners, and has supported the Trees for Survival initiative for the last ten years. In that time, its students have shown their commitment to conservation and protecting the environment by growing and planting more than 6000 native trees in the local community.
Seedlings and bags of compost are delivered to the school in August where they are transplanted, or ‘potted on’, by a team of about 30 students. Over the next 10 months, the students spend lunchtimes checking water levels in the soil, making sure the plants are healthy, removing weeds, and repotting as the seedlings grow. “Other than that, they mostly look after themselves,” says Emery.
Once the plants are established, the students and their plants are transported to the school’s partner property to be planted out.
This year, Strathallan students raised 682 trees to plant on a farm in Blackbridge Road, Karaka – a mix of mānuka, kānuka, hebe, cabbage trees, flax, māhoe, and carex. The site was particularly challenging with a steep bank and plenty of mud, but according to the students, it was very satisfying.
As well as being outdoors and getting her hands dirty, Mehak Kaur, Year 8, enjoyed the satisfaction of knowing she was making a difference. “Planting day was really fun,” she says. “It was cool to see the trees we had been looking after finally get planted and it was nice knowing we were helping the environment.”
Emery agrees. “Seeing all the trees planted in the earth at the end of the day and knowing that they will provide shelter and food for other organisms, reduce erosion, and improve air quality - it’s so cool!”
Also cool is the lunch provided by the landowner at the end of the planting session – this year, nachos and pumpkin soup.
The educational benefits of growing and caring for native trees are significant. “Our students learn about the different varieties of native trees and the importance of trees in conservation,” explains Suzanne Hamilton, Science Faculty Co-ordinator and teacher in charge of the programme. “They also gain practical gardening and planting skills, as well as
leadership and communication skills through working with peers, teachers, and
community volunteers.”
And they are making a significant difference to the wider community. “The programme contributes to the restoration of native habitats, erosion control, cleaner waterways, increased biodiversity, and long-term healthier ecosystems, which is particularly relevant to us as a rural school, surrounded by farmland,” Suzanne says.
For Emery, the programme has been a memorable part of the high school journey and a reminder that conservation begins with individual people working together as a team. “Conservation can seem very daunting - it may feel as if the only way you can contribute is to take big political actions against data centres, oil mining, deforestation and the like. But Trees for Survival has reminded me that significant change starts with a motivation to get out there and do some hard work to contribute, even if it’s in a small or simple way.”
For Strathallan and the local community, that change is happening, one tree at a time.
