The Peel Branch

The Peel Branch of The Men Of The Trees ( Peel MOTT ) was established in Mandurah in 1994 as a regional centre to service the areas of Dwellingup, Jarrahdale, Pinjarra, Boddington , Serpentine, Mundijong and Waroona, which make up the Peel Region. For additional detail and maps on the region visit http://www.peel.wa.gov.au/

The Peel MOTT operation differs from St. Barbe Grove and Rockingham branches in that it does not have a centralised nursery. It operates from a ‘function centre’ which was established in 2003 at the Winjan Aboriginal Corporation Centre in Pinjarra Road near Lakes Road. Although the potting and seeding is carried out at this centre the branch elects to outsource propagation benches and pots to individual members to nurture in their own home nurseries until such time as the seedlings are ready for planting. Peel MOTT then provides the mature seedlings on a ‘supply only’ as well as a ‘supply and plant’ basis to surrounding land owners, Local Government bodies and others at moderate costs.

Another important activity of this organisation is to liaise with local schools regarding tree growing and planting activities and in particular to encourage their participation in the Million Trees Project.

Seedling Orders Should Be Placed Early

Early consideration should be given to the number and species of seedlings that you will require for planting in any given year. Keep in mind that seedlings need to be planted in the ground with the first good rains in the month of June. This means that the seedlings that you require need to be potted up between October and December of the year prior to this in order to ensure healthy plants with a good survival rate. This in turn places urgency in acquiring the required seed in order to meet this time frame.

Forward ordering ensures that you not only get strong healthy plants in the required species and numbers, but it also avoids the frustration of last minute selections from a reduced range and quality.

Below you will find a link to the Peel MOTT Catalogue of species that we can grow for plantings in the Peel Region. These and other species can be grown from your own seed by special arrangement if this is preferred. An Order Form showing current donation values is also included. The seedlings can be ordered on a ‘buy only’ or ‘buy and plant’ basis by arrangement.

Men of the Trees, Peel Branch, has a proud history of providing native seedlings to diverse groups such as the Mandurah City Council, Land Care Groups as well as private individuals. We are also proud of our active participation with local schools in educating the younger generation in the value of native trees and shrubs.

Please do not hesitate to contact our Coordinator (contact details shown above ) in regard to any aspects of your tree planting program.

Peel Species Catalogue

Seedling Pricing and Order Form

Members’ Meetings

Peel MOTT’s meetings are held at 7.30 pm on the first Thursday of the month at the Falcon Family Centre at 58 Linville Street in Falcon. Take the Yeedong Road turn off from the Old Coast Road in Falcon. Linville St branches off to the left and the Family centre is at the top of the hill.
The meetings are friendly and informal and usually revolve around the routine “how, why, where and when” problems associated with our growing and planting activities which are explained in a little more detail further on in the web site.

New Members Are Welcome

As a voluntary organisation we are always looking for new members – male and female, so don’t be put off by the title “MEN Of The Trees” because females would make up at least 50% of our membership. The name “Men Of The Trees” has been retained intact not only because of its worldwide recognition but also for the historical significance that is associated with its origins. Please visit our history link for the interesting story on how Richard St. Barbe Baker, O.B.E., originated the MOTT movement in 1924.

Our appeal for new members is really quite simple:

If you have
● a love of trees and shrubs;
● a feel for the environment; and
● a little spare time.

You would
● enjoy working with our small group of volunteer workers
● find it stimulating with a social element that most people find quite rewarding

For more information on membership please refer to the contact box at the top of this web page.

How We Operate

Our activities are basically orchestrated by our Coordinator who translates the seedling orders that are received by our Sales Liaison person into seed collecting, potting, nurturing and planting sessions which can be briefly described as follows:

• Seed collecting – small groups of members are organised to gather seed throughout the summer months from nearby localities. This usually takes from 2 – 3 hours per session. The nuts or fruit collected are then dried over a period of several weeks and the resulting seed used in subsequent plantings.
• Potting sessions – potting the seed is usually a half day community activity which is carried out at the Peel MOTT Winjan centre about five or six times over the early summer months. It’s a fairly labour intensive process so the bigger the attendance the faster and easier the activity.
• Propagation – the trays of seeded pots are distributed to members who are willing to nurture them in their own home nurseries or gardens for a period of about six months until planting time in June through to about August. The number of pots involved in these home nurseries varies but it is usually about 800 seedlings. Shade cloth is needed for the first few months then after that at least 4 hours sunshine each day.
• Community plantings – planting activities are dictated by customer requirements and can take place in local Mandurah environments (usually road or Water Supply reserves) right through to outlying farms in the Peel Region. They are arranged as both weekend and weekday activities in order to fully utilise the available free time of our members. They are usually full day sessions and have a congenial social atmosphere that gives members (particularly those who are city bred) an insight into farming and the farming community. Transport arrangements are usually made to rationalise the use of vehicles and petrol costs are subsidised.

School Involvement

Peel MOTT can provide direction and guidance to local schools in introducing and running “hands-on” student experience in the growing, nurturing and planting of native seedlings.

Whether this involvement is directly linked to the Million Trees Project or confined to smaller local ‘grow and plant’ exercises is the choice of the individual school. The important factor is that children develop an awareness and sense of environmental responsibility that hopefully will carry through to their adult life.

The degree of material assistance provided by Peel MOTT is really a variable and depends very much on the magnitude and scope of the project.

A very good starting point is to discuss the broad ambit of school projects with our representatives. If you are interested, we have a standing sub-committee with a wealth of experience in this area.

For further information please consult the contacts in the relevant box at the start of this web page.