How planting trees and grasses can help stabilise farmland in a changing climate

Certain native species, such as Eucalyptus populnea, can combat the effects of drought.  Supplied: Australian National Botanic Gardens

As parts of the country face the toughest drought in people's lifetimes, tree species that can assist in water and soil management have a renewed purpose.
Need to raise your water table, stabilise your soil or grow an alternate fodder source in arid conditions? 

There is a tree — or grass — for that. 

Fran Bodkin, a Dharawal elder who has degrees in environmental science, geomorphology and climatology, wrote the Encyclopedia Botanica by hand when pregnant and confined to bed rest.
She said farmland could be stabilised naturally to help it cope with a changing climate, and it was as simple as planting a few trees.

Using tree teamwork to find balance

Trees are sophisticated pieces of engineering, purpose-built for their habitat.

PHOTO: Scientist and botanist Fran Bodkin believes climate change impacts can be mitigated through clever planting. (ABC News: Mark Tobin)

But they work best as a team and can be destructive if planted as a single species. 

"One of the things that really bugs me is when we plant only one [species of] gumtree," Ms Bodkin said.

"It gives them no support because our ecosystems grew up with each other for millions and millions of years and they have learnt to support each other.

"We separate them out and expect them to do the same thing that the [former multi-species] community did. They need each other."

An ecosystem, by definition, is about balance. In times of severe weather stress, this balance is especially effective at protecting and even encouraging natural resources such as water and soil.

It is possible for anyone to re-establish this balance.

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