More than 500 trees are providing food for wildlife at Yarrabilba State Secondary College.
The initiative was a student’s idea in 2022 as part of their studies.
Chris Gauthier, Head of Department at Yarrabilba State Secondary College, helped bring the fodder plantation to life.
He said students learned about koalas and other wildlife in Logan, the challenges they faced in the wild and their rehabilitation journey when the animals become sick, injured or orphaned.
Students visited a local koala carer and learned koalas could eat anywhere from six to ten branches of leaf a day.
“Hearing from the carer the challenges around finding suitable leaf, particularly in drought, this student came up with the idea of growing food trees here on campus to help,” Mr Gauthier said.
The trees in the plantation are a mixture of different types of eucalyptus including blue gum, tallowwood, grey gum, red stringybark, spotted gum, swamp mahogany and gum topped box.
While these trees are predominantly for koalas and possums, the plantation is expanding further by including flowering species such as banksia, bottlebrush, grevillea and lilly pilly.
“Not only will these support possums and gliders, but a range of bird species that are commonly cared for, such as lorikeets,” Mr Gauthier said.
In 2024, the school received a Logan City Council EnviroGrant, which allowed the plantation to add 450 trees to its existing 200 trees.
“It’s our plan that students will propagate seedlings for future expansion, but also to provide to other schools or the wider community,” Mr Gauthier said.
Mr Gauthier said the process was pretty much a waiting game.
This has now paid off as the plantation is at a stage where branches can be cut and provided to wildlife carers.
Earlier this year, Sue, a wildlife carer from Tamborine, collected more than 20 branches to help feed four growing ringtail possum joeys.
“It’s awesome to see an idea students have had translated into this,” Mr Gauthier said.
If any local wildlife carers are interested, they can contact Mr Gauthier via email at cgaut5@eq.edu.au or on 07 5549 8777 to arrange a time for collection.
Mr Gauthier also said he was happy to be contacted by other schools if they wanted to create their own plantation.
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