A mighty red cedar stands tall in the sunlight. One of few that remain after a European thirst for timber that seemed impossible to quench.

Jake’s main motto for rainforest plantings is “shade, shade, shade!”

Then all it takes is a combination of birds and the wind to begin the natural process of seed dispersal and germination.

The Big Scrub originally covered around 900 square kilometres of the Bundjalung & Githabul nations across Northern NSW. It is estimated that 1% of the original Big Scrub remains.

The English name actually comes from the long straight stem of the plant which was harvested post WW1 to make walking sticks for returned soldiers who were wounded.

These plants are incredibly well adapted to the Australian landscape, they survive well in dry areas and are able to regenerate and thrive after being subject to bushfires. They’re often the first shades of green to appear in a charred landscape.

Lyndy and Tony have worked to fence off and replant 4 hectares along 2km of riverfront on the Wilsons River.