I spent a great weekend with fellow scholars and Western Australian farmer Jemma Sadler in the Wongan Hills. The landscape was extraordinary with large kangaroos in the fields and brightly colored parrots flying in front of our ute. Beautiful fields of wheat grew in large paddocks that are gated by carefully planted trees. In the low areas Jemma has also added saltbush. The trees and bushes keep the soil cool, clean the air and keep the salt levels down.
Excessive tree harvest allows salt to come to the surface in WA leaving a barren landscape.
At home we plant about 100 trees per year. It will be part of our legacy and our gift to our small space on earth. As a society we cannot continue to destroy these mystical, magical and technically advanced friends – our trees. They record our history and orchestrate our future in food and in life.
Farmer Jemma Sadler stands in a healthy canola crop that grows in harmony with native trees that help balance the ecosystem.
