SINCE the formation of Friends of The Vines bushland group three years ago, volunteers have worked closely with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) and the City of Swan to restore bushland, parkland and wetlands.

Footpaths have been cleared to improve visual appearance and safety so residents and visitors may walk through high value native bushland, populated with rare plants and trees, along with wildlife, including critically endangered cockatoos.

Cockatoos have been recorded visiting nest boxes installed and funded by donations from the Vines Residents and Ratepayers Association.

Thousands of seedlings have been planted to begin the process of areas that have historically become degraded.

Many of the seedlings that were planted were harvested as seeds from the reserves, ensuring authentic genetic stock, and giving them the best chance of success.

Firebreaks obstructions have been cleared and have been recognised by the DBCA as helping to reduce the impacts of the recent wildfires in the Maralla Road Reserve.

Fire risk has been a particular concern expressed by residents with the group’s actions hoping to address the risk.

Volunteers, with the aid of a $10,000 state government grant, have purchased significant equipment, enabling teams to take on a long-term project for reducing the fire risk to the reserves and properties by removing dead trees bordering areas of reserves and by replanting seedlings.

Equipment purchased by the group includes electric chainsaws, safety equipment and a woodchipper, enabling volunteers to cut dead trees and mulch them.

The wood chippings are then used to help prepare the area for future planting by improving the soil, suppressing weeds and increasing water retention.

Friends of The Vines bushlands cofounder Rob Bradbury said using the chipper also helped reduce the risks of pests spreading.

“When you use a chipper, then instead of having to haul out trees and parts of trees that may have pests inside, those trees and tree parts can stay in place,” he said.

“In the case of the shot-hole borer where the spread is managed by stopping infected wood from being moved around, this is one way to get around that.

“It also has a bunch of other benefits and helps stop the area from drying out which in turn helps reduce fire risk.”

In Autumn, the group is working with the DBCA to eradicate weeds, repair fences damaged by bushfire, repairing firebreaks and plant new seedlings in Maralla Road Reserve.

The fencing is being repaired to keep kangaroos from disturbing the seedlings with about 110m of new fencing being put up as of Tuesday, May 19 and the rest to be completed ahead of seedling planting.

The Friends of The Vines bushland group is open to new volunteers joining with residents and interested people being able to register their interest through vinesresidentsassociation@gmail.com or the Friends of The Vines bushland Facebook group.

“Sometimes the government gets a lot of the blame for things in the area not looking how they should, and sometimes that comes to departments not being resourced enough to fix all the reserves in the metro area,” Mr Bradbury said.

“We can stand there and say, ‘the council should do this and that’.

“But that costs us in rates and the friends group was created because we understood that and wanted to do something about the area if others couldn’t afford a rate rise.

“It gets a bunch of people out working together, it’s fun, it’s constructive, you have a laugh with good company and you can look back and say to yourself you’ve made a difference.

“Once you do that, there’s a sense of pride and ownership about the place you’ve created and it tends to be kept nicer going forward too.”