Battling weeds and improving biodiversity with Griffith Woodland Volunteer Group

The Griffith Woodland Volunteer Group was established in March 2018 to protect and restore Griffith Woodland. A diverse group of volunteers get together once a month to restore the area. 

Volunteer with: Griffith Woodland Volunteer Group

The Griffith Woodland Volunteer Group was established in March 2018 to protect and restore Griffith Woodland. A diverse group of volunteers get together once a month to restore the area. 

Despite being quite a new group, Griffith Woodland Volunteer Group have been busy from the start, filling eight truckloads with green waste at their first work party.

The group’s passion for the area has seen them tally 464 hours of volunteering in their first financial year, equal to over 12 weeks of full-time work! 

Through their monthly work parties, the group has made some real differences to the woodland. Many invasive weeds, and exotic trees and shrubs have been removed and replaced with native species. 

These native plantings have been designed by one of their members, a landscape architect, to develop important features of grassy woodlands to improve biodiversity and provide food and habitat for native wildlife. 

The group is supported by groups like the Red Hill Regenerators, who share their knowledge at work parties; the Griffith Narrabundah Community Association; Southern ACT Catchment Group; and the Parks and Place team in Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate (TCCS). Team members have been upskilling through TCCS-funded training programs to ensure first aid-trained people and qualified herbicide users are present at work parties. 

The trees of the area have been mapped, including five remnant Yellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora) trees estimated to be at least 150 years old (and now listed on the ACT Tree Register). There are also abundant rocky outcrops, with 60 – and counting! – native plant species including a diverse range of grasses and forbs. The group has installed two wooden park bench seats, with support from TCCS. 

Groups like the Griffith Woodland Volunteer Group show how local communities can make a difference to their natural environment. You can find a group near you here (link to page).