SA: Trees to help in bushfire recovery

AAP General News (Australia)
08-03-2005
SA: Trees to help in bushfire recovery

ADELAIDE, Aug 3 AAP - The first of 10,000 trees will be planted today to help revegetate
areas of South Australia's Eyre Peninsula blackened by bushfires in January this year.

Students at the Port Lincoln Primary School will plant 100 trees on the property of
Greg and Sue Van Den Broek which lost most of its native vegetation in the fires which
destroyed dozens of homes and claimed nine lives.

The planting program is being supported by Bank SA and Greening Australia and the banks'
regional manager Chris Cottrell said today it was a crucial step in the area's recovery.

"Helping to restore the bush and native habitats will provide positive, tangible results
at an environmental and agricultural level," he said.

"Importantly, it also will help to lift community spirits by removing more of the visible
scars of black Tuesday."

As well as the impact on local farmers, the bushfires burned more than 82,000 hectares
of the Cummins-Wanilla Basin and Koppio Hills area and had a significant impact on native
fauna.

AAP tjd/drp/jlw

KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES SA TREES

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