Matsubayashi Nojo (formerly Treehaven), NSW

Matsubayashi Nojo is a retired sheep grazing property situated just south of Bathurst on the Central Tablelands in NSW.  

Greenfleet started revegetating the property in 2017, and as of 2020 has planted 7,500 native trees across 8 hectares of the property. Anton, the landholder at Matsubayashi Nojo, has chosen to dedicate over half of his property to native revegetation with Greenfleet, extending the remnant vegetation already in the area. 

Over its lifetime, this native and endemic forest will sequester 6,300 tonnes of carbon. This is enough to offset a year’s worth of emissions from nearly 1,500 average vehicles.  

A variety of native species were planted as a part of this project including Mountain Gum (Eucalyptus dalrympleana), Snow Gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora) and Snowy River Wattle (Acacia boormanii), which may become habitat for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater.  

This forest will be protected for up to 100 years, ensuring that it can provide a range of long-term environmental benefits to the region including providing habitat to the critically endangered Swift Parrot, and endangered Booroolong Frog, Southern Brown Bandicoot and Spotted-tailed quoll.   

When asked why revegetating his property was important to him, Anton said that he valued the Japanese practice of ‘forest bathing’ or shinrin-yoku. Anton also feels that the natural world “provides tranquillity” because it is “perfect as it is”.  

Since the first planting on site in 2017, Anton has said that he has seen more varieties of birds and animals on his property than ever before. 

We are looking forward to this forest growing well into the future and it providing Anton, and the other inhabitants of the land, peace and habitat for decades to come.