Managing flora and fauna
We understand and share the value placed on local flora and fauna. With all major projects, we work hard to balance our impact on the environment with the need to improve road safety and journey reliability.
Flora and fauna investigations
We assessed all aspects of the environment to inform our design and control measures. However, we understand that 2 of the most important environmental features of the local area are vegetation and wildlife, and special consideration was given to these.
We engaged a team of ecologists and arborists who were qualified in biodiversity and environmental science to carry out the flora and fauna assessment for the project.
As part of the site assessment, our team walked the entire project, examining the area using binoculars, cameras and GPS enabled Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) tablets. This process allowed us to record and map scattered trees, vegetation and the location of significant flora and fauna species.
We undertook a flora and fauna investigation assessment to:
- identify sensitive and protected flora and fauna, including potential fauna habitats
- ensure we were complying with federal and state environmental legislation requirements
- understand potential impacts that the project may have on identified sensitive species
- develop measures to reduce potential impacts, such as adjusting the design, installing controls and identifying construction 'no-go zones'.
Trees and vegetation
We designed the Craigieburn Road Upgrade to preserve the local environment as much as possible. Our team of experts explored all possibilities to retain as many trees as we could, while developing opportunities to reuse any timber from trees that we removed.
Plant species
We identified various species of vegetation throughout the project area. This included native and introduced trees. Throughout the life of the project we worked closely with arborists to minimise our impact on all vegetation.
We also developed a landscape plan in consultation with landscape architects and key stakeholders including Hume City Council and the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) to determine the types of new vegetation to plant.
Fauna protection
Many species of fauna were found within the area, including:
- mammals
- birds
- reptiles
- amphibians.
Before removing vegetation, an ecologist conducted surveys to identify any hollow-bearing trees and help determine suitable locations for relocated habitat. Our project ecologist was on site during vegetation removal to ensure no animals were harmed during construction.
We also placed fauna fencing to protect animals from vehicles and machinery. Our team was equipped with qualified ecologists to relocate any animal we found to a safe habitat. Added protection measures were used in places that were frequented by the Latham’s Snipe and Golden Sun Moths.
Managing environmental impacts
To manage environmental impacts during the project, we:
- developed an Environmental Management Plan, to help control and minimise any ecological and environmental impacts during construction
- developed an offset strategy to address requirements under the Planning and Environmental Act 1987 for the removal of any native vegetation
- developed, and implemented protections plans for the Latham’s Snipe and Golden Sun Moths
- sought appropriate approvals as required, made necessary design adjustments and implemented an action plan to reduce potential environmental impacts
- organised a Timber Reuse Plan, Tree Impact Assessment and Fauna Management Plan.
Assessment, protection and removal of trees
As with all major projects, we must balance the need to remove vegetation and the impact to the environment with the need to improve road safety and traffic flow.
An arborist and ecologist report was prepared to assess the species, size and number of trees to be impacted across the project. The report informed the degree of impact on each tree and guided decisions around which trees were to be retained or removed.
The reports were also been used to determine
- trees to be retained
- trees that had fauna hollows
- trees that required protection during construction
- offset requirements.
Timber from felled trees
The reuse of mulch and timber is in line with the Project’s Sustainability Management Plan and Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) Project Sustainability Rating.
Some timber was mulched on site for safe removal from the road. Selected logs were retained for use in landscaping.
We worked with Hume City Council to offer logs and mulch for council purposes.
We also reached out to local community groups including the Craigieburn Men’s Shed, schools and kindergartens to offer logs and mulch.
The Project endeavoured to reuse and repurpose all by-products of tree removal activities as outlined in our Timber Reuse Strategy.