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PROJECTS

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Snowy Hydro Limited - Snowy 2.0

 

​From 2017, Alpine Flora has been engaged by Snowy Hydro Limited to plan and implement rehabilitation on the Snowy 2.0 exploratory drill sites and the major project. Works include

  • rehabilitation planning

  • supervision

  • management

  • monitoring and

  • reporting.

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NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) ecological projects in Kosciuszko National Park

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In 2016 and 2017 Alpine Flora was engaged by NPWS for a variety of ecological rehabilitation projects. These range from:

  • The Planting and supervision of Thredbo Valley Track (TVT) offsets in the Kosciuszko National Park.

  • Supervision, implementation and maintenance of revegetation sites in Perisher Ski Resort for 5 years.

  • The planting and rehabilitation of the Visitor Entrance Station surrounds and the Kosciuszko National Park sign on Kosciuszko Rd. ​

  • The planting of Poa species on a reclaimed landfill area to producer seed for rehabilitation.

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Ski resorts/lodges

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Alpine Flora works throughout mainland Australian alpine and sub-alpine areas. The latest projects have been the:

  • Design, planting and maintenance of a ski lodge (Redbank) garden in Thredbo Resort.

  • Training and support of volunteer planting days at Falls Creek Resort.

  • Ecological tour of Buffalo National Park for the Australian Veterinary Society.​

  • Worked in the Perisher ski resort for the last 5 years in landscape repair, planting and maintenance of 30 sites across the resort.

  • The monitoring of the rehabilitation of the water security project for the Mt Buller ski resort.

  • Consultation and advice on species selection for Black Bear lodge in the Thredbo resort.

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Greenfleet

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Alpine Flora has been working for Greenfleet for 5 years and has been assisting in monitoring and establishment of carbon offset sites, primarily involving the planting of trees. Duties carried out are:

  • Site safety induction.

  • Site assessment for planting projects monitoring of carbon offset projects in south eastern NSW.

  • Site monitoring of the success of planting projects and advice on infill planting.

  • Infill planting of smaller sites.

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Utilities - Transgrid/Essential Energy/Telstra

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  • ​Alpine Flora was engaged by Transgrid to revegetate cleared areas under 3 phase power lines in a remote section of Kosciuszko National Park. Planting was focused on low growing species with the aim of stabilising the area and improving aesthetics. Works involved the supervision of subcontractors, planning and implementation of rehabilitation works on high voltage powerlines in Upper Talbingo.

  • Alpine Flora was engaged by Essential Energy to rehabilitate an upgrade of the Bullocks Flat substation in 2018/19.

  • The supervision and advice on the rehabilitation of a new communications tower at Blue Cow in the Perisher resort.

Front Cover of Alpine Shire Climate Change Plant List
Climate Change Plant Lists


In 2016 Alpine Flora was engaged to compile plant lists for a changing climate as predicted by the Australian Government for the Alpine and Benalla Rural Shires in north-east Victoria. I also provided gardening advice and how to construct gardens that retain carbon, support birds, insects and small mammals, as well as being aesthetically attractive. The lists and gardening advice will be used to provide a guide to future planting in streetscapes, parks and gardens and private residences for these areas.

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Climate Change Plant Lists


In 2016 Alpine Flora was engaged to compile plant lists for a changing climate as predicted by the Australian Government for the Alpine and Benalla Rural Shires in north-east Victoria. I also provided gardening advice and how to construct gardens that retain carbon, support birds, insects and small mammals, as well as being aesthetically attractive. The lists and gardening advice will be used to provide a guide to future planting in streetscapes, parks and gardens and private residences for these areas.

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Front cover of the Australian Alps National Park - 'The Green Book' - Rehabilitation Field Guide
Green Book Training


In 2013, the Australian Alps Liaison Committee provided resources for me to write a Rehabilitation Field Guide for the Australian Alps, AKA the Green Book and to roll it out with a training program across 2 states (Vic and NSW) and the ACT. In addition, a further training program was conducted in 2016 to utility providers and non government agencies in the Australian Alps. The aim of the book and the training was to provide simple concepts and practices that can be used in the work place on a day-to day basis. Ultimately it is hoped that this training and guide will improve ecological outcomes for the landscape and enable all stakeholders of the Australian Alps to comply with planning permits and fulfill post disturbance rehabilitation.

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Related links:

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Liz MacPhee carrying our Podocarpus rehab at Mt Blue Cow, Perisher Valley
Silver snow daisies, Kosciuszko National Park. Photo: Doug Chatten
Liz MacPhee at the Snowy Addit - Oct 2016
Former Snowy-Hydro Scheme Site Rehabilitation  

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I worked for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) as the Rehabilitation Officer for Kosciuszko National Park for 11 years (2005-2016). My primary role was to develop and co-ordinate rehabilitation techniques to restore native vegetation on rock spoil. The sites ranged from montane communities through to alpine ecosystems and presented a wide range of problems that needed solutions. The solutions varied some of which were to:  

  • reduce angles of the landscape as much as possible 

  • redirect water flow into the subsurface or 'root zone' 

  • make compost using waste sawdust 

  • develop a planting technique for steep rocky slopes

  • use grey water to grow native grasses for the production of seed that can be applied directly onto rehabilitation sites 

  • develop plant lists of native species suitable to grow on highly disturbed sites at high altitude.

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Related links:

Track rehabilitation works on Mt Feathertop Walking Track, Victoria
Mt Feathertop Walking Track Rehabilitation
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In 2000 Parks Victoria undertook the rehabilitation of the top sections of the Mt Feathertop walking track. The track was unformed with mutliple incised and eroding trails were present that needed to be repaired. Stone pitching was undertaken on the top 100 m track. My part of the project was to plan the revegetation of the verges. The community of this part of Mt Feathertop was open heath and short alpine herbfield. I selected the species to be grown for the work, collected the plant material required, grew the tubestock and then planted the sections adjacent to the pitching. Most of the materials were flown in by a helicopter including compost, plants, mulch and water. The work was remote and difficult, but was very successful.

Alpine Research Project

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In 1990 I worked for the Victorian Government as a Horticultural Scientist to develop methods and plant material to be used in high altitude rehabilitation for ski resorts and national parks. The project aims were as follows: 

  • Production of high quality indigenous alpine and sub-alpine tube-stock for rehabilitation trials and activities. This included: 

    • Seed collection and storage.

    • Field production (seed and cutting material).

    • Nursery Production (grasses, forbs, shrubs, trees, wetlands).

  • Research (shrubs, mycorrhiza, rhizobium, wetland).

  • Research into the germination and/or production of the ‘unsolved’ indigenous alpine and sub-alpine species.

  • Research into effective rehabilitation of degraded alpine and sub-alpine landscape. This included:

    • Provision of indigenous, provenance based, plant material to stakeholders.

    • Research into effective techniques (steep grades, no soil or microflora, active erosion)

    • Technical advice (planning, legislation, ski resorts, Parks Victoria). 

Post Rehab - Headwater Bog, Bogong High Plains, Victoria
Mossbed Rehabilitation - NSW and Victoria 

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I have been involved with sphagnum mossbed rehabilitation since 1989 and have devleoped techniques and use of plant material that are still in use today. The projects that I worked on are as follows: 

  • Rocky Valley dam 'pinch pit' - a borrow pit for the construction of the dam that had beeen reduced to bedrock with an incised stream and remnant mossbed vegetation. Use of different materials for weirs, the transplanting of sphagnum moss, the slowing of flows and protection of exposed peat moss were all researched. 

  • 2003 Post fire rehabilitation of the Bogong High Plains. Multiple mossbeds and other rare communities such as snow patches were burnt or bulldozed during the 2003 fires in the Victorian alpine regions. My role was to rehabilitate these areas using techniques and plant materials that I helped to develop. 

  • Advisory role for NSW NPWS throughout Kosciuszko National Park in mossbed repair in ski resorts and weed control programs where Orange Hawkweed was sprayed in various high altitude mossbeds. Also use of mossbed vegetation for Southern Corroborre Frog habitat. 

  • Development of a plan and techniques to reinstate water to parts of the Spion Koph aqueduct mossbed that had been deprived of water since the 1950's. In conjunction with Parks Victoria, the aqueduct had small swales constructed in it, minor earthworks to open up areas to the new water flows and revegetation of closed heath and mossbed to rehabiliate the area and remove any bare ground.

© 2016 by Liz MacPhee - Alpine Flora 

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