Firewheel Nursery inspires Daintree project

FIREWHEEL Rainforest Nursery, a staple in native plant production for over 35 years, has become the blueprint for Rainforest Rescue’s ambitious new initiative in the Daintree.

Firewheel, led by founder Mark Dunphy, produces over 150,000 plants annually across more than 350 species, aiding major revegetation projects in Byron, Ballina, Lismore, and the Tweed.

Rainforest Rescue chief executive Branden Barber said Dunphy had been instrumental in helping design the new nursery.

“His expertise and the success of Firewheel Rainforest Nursery showed us what was possible.”

Rainforest Rescue’s new Cow Bay Native Nursery, inspired by Firewheel, aims to produce 150,000 trees each year to restore nearly 25 hectares of rainforest annually.

“We didn’t want to reinvent the wheel,” Barber said.

“Mark has been a fantastic friend to our organisation, and his nursery’s success was a model for our efforts.”

The new nursery will enhance Rainforest Rescue’s ability to mitigate climate change and restore native habitats.

“Nature is in crisis, and there’s no time to waste,” Barber said.

“There are creatures here that you will only find North of the Daintree River and South of Cooktown

“We’re scaling up to plant as many trees as possible to combat the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss.”

Barber pointed to the collaborative nature of their work.

“We have a seed collection policy to ensure we leave plenty of seeds for local fauna and natural regeneration,” he said.

“We track the provenance of all our seeds and work closely with local councils, government authorities, and community groups.”

By following Firewheel’s model, Rainforest Rescue aims to replicate its success in the Daintree, contributing significantly to rainforest restoration and resilience.

“We are committed to the ongoing protection and sustainable management of the rainforest,” Barber said.

“Our goal is to inspire and support conservation efforts globally.”

“There is more work to do than we could do in a lifetime, and there’s no time to waste.”

For more, head to rainforestrescue.org.au