5.5 Translocation of seedlings The translocation process for the small seedlings currently associated with adult female plants shall be undertaken slightly differently from that of the adult plants, and shall use the following methods: • Seedlings shall be carefully extracted by hand to avoid damage to the stem and roots. Leaves will be removed and then the seedling placed between layers of moistened paper or coir chip in a Styrofoam box or Esky and kept in the shade until being replanted later in the day. • In the nursery, seedlings and small plants will be placed vertically in a suitably sized pot (one plant per pot) and then filled with “Cycad potting media”. • Each potted seedling shall be watered with sufficient water to moisten the media and placed in a lightly shaded area of the nursery in the pot for 6 months or until new foliage appears. At which time they will be moved to a sunny situation in the nursery. • Seedlings will be held in the nursery for a minimum of 9 months or until at least a second flush of new foliage has hardened off. And planted with same timing as larger plants. • Seedlings shall be planted out in designated areas at the recipient site, selecting areas of limited grass and shrub cover to minimise the risk of mortality from fire and to reduce competition interference from other plants. • Planting holes shall be dug by hand and ground cover vegetation trimmed within a 1 m diameter of the planting holes. • Pots will be removed, seedlings shall be gently lowered into the hole, positioned vertically and backfilled using topsoil removed during the digging of the hole. • Each seedling shall be watered thoroughly with at least 5 litres of water at planting. • Watering will then take place as per above section for larger plants 5.6 Seed collection Propagation activities have been included within this plan to account for potential mortality, and to improve understanding of propagation of the species. All ripe seeds (shed or ready to be shed) found within the impact area during the pre- clearance survey and translocation operations will be collected and placed in seed collection bags. Search efforts will focus on areas surrounding the base of known female plants, where older seeds may be shallowly buried in soil and leaf litter. The viability of all collected seeds shall be tested by immersing them in a bucket of water; all seeds that float shall be discarded and all seeds that sink shall be sent to an experienced nursery for propagation. Seed collection data will be entered into the translocation database.
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Mundic Gully TSF Translocation Project - Cycas megacarpa
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