Plenty of hands made short work of planting 800 trees on a hillside at Lake Canobolas on Sunday.
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Organisers said about 100 people, which was more than they had expected, turned up to help rejuvenate a former weed-infested grassy area north of the lake.
Co-organiser and Orange City Council Community Environmental Engagement Office Bill Josh added a unique method to the plantation day in a bid to fight off the threat of drought to the newly-planted eucalypts, acacias and tea trees.
Mr Josh encouraged the planters to place a handful of water-saving crystals he mixed up on site, in each hole to give the trees a potential boost.
"It's the first time I've done this in Orange," he said.
"It's an experiment for me."
He said adding a handful of the commercially-available crystals could potentially also help Orange people planting trees in their gardens.
"Just put a handful in every hole. A handful might be a teaspoon [size]," he said.
Mr Josh said the crystals needed to be dug well into the hole because if they were placed too high and received a lot of water they could swell and push the trees out of their holes.
He said he was pleased with the turnout.
We need to plant more trees.
- Nick King, president ECCO
"We average 70-80 people. We might even smash 100 today," he said.
Mr Josh said he was confident the new trees would survive the drought as there was plenty of grass cover and the site was at a high altitude.
"We'd be close to 1000 metres here. We get that cooler weather. With good grass cover it creates a good shade across the area. I'll make sure they will survive," he said.
Environmentally Concerned Citizens of Orange president Nick King said the National Tree Day event had drawn a good crowd.
"Young people are coming out. It gives everybody something to do in a real, practical, hands-on way," he said.
"Our urban lifestyle tends to disassociate us from nature.
"We need to plant more trees."
Mr King said the Lake Canobolas eco-system was healthy despite the drought.
"I think it's doing very well. There is not much you can do about not having any water," he said.
Mr King said there should be an expansion of the camping area at the lake. He said the lake's natural qualities should be recognised rather than introducing artificial features.
"[We] need to clear out the feral weeds and enhance the natural environment of the lake," he said.
"It's an iconic area. It's one of the jewels in Orange's crown. It's a mistake to think we need more jumping castles," he said.
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