Tree plantings of native species are a wonderful way to help rejuvenate degraded bushland areas, but 'how successful are they?' is the key question that environmentalists so often need to measure.

Hosting their autumn plant sale on Saturday, March 21, from 8am, Friends of Burrendong Arboretum have recently enlisted an expert to check the success of years of volunteer work at the Botanic Garden around the dam site.

Celebrating National Eucalypt Day, the event will also include guided walks in key areas of renewal in the Garden from 9am and 11am, Chairperson of the Friends, Katrina MacLennan told Dubbo Photo News.

“We’ve been a bit ad hoc till now, but the Orana REZ (Renewable Energy Zone) came through with almost a million dollars last year to help rejuvenate the area,” Katrina said.

“We haven’t begun many of the programs yet, but we employed a ‘rejuvenation manager’ Sharon Davern, who started in October,” she added.

The impact of recent dry conditions after years of planting a variety of species at the site, has now seen the need to check how it’s all going, Katrina explained.

“We’re taking an extra day in doing a ‘eucalyptus audit’ on the trees that have been planted, we’re looking at what has survived around the whole site.

“There’s been many hundreds of trees, and we want to look at what has survived over 60 years that the Garden has been there, what’s surviving, and what’s thriving,” she revealed.

For this vital work, they’ve turned to an expert and one of Australia’s leading authorities in the field.

“We’ve got Jo Green, native plant ecologist and executive of the Australian Plant Society from the Coffs Harbour branch.

“You see, we’ve planted eucalypts from all over Australia as part of our ‘Living Collections’ work, and it will be fascinating to see how they’ve gone,” Katrina explained.

Seeing how they’ve gone, is also the subject of two tour events on the day for interested visitors.

“We’re doing the sale and the walk through on the same day, but it will be very relaxed, covering about two-hectares of the Garden.

“The only thing you need, is enclosed shoes, say a hat, and maybe a water bottle,” Katrina said.

As well as plants for sale, there will also be coffee and light refreshments available at the event, and a gum-tree themed “Eucalypt Art Project”.

“We’ll also have some craft and art items for sale on the day,” Katrina said.

“There’s also a ‘drought-buster bench’ with salt bush and other hardy plants and shrubs for sale,” she concluded.

The Friends are not-for-profit with their twice-yearly plant sales raising money for the Burrendong Botanic Garden & Arboretum (BBGA).