Tree planting underlines sustainability focus at Howard Park

The team at Howard Park recently planted more than 350 trees along the Wilyabrup Brook on their Margaret River property.

The plantings celebrated a sustainability milestone for the family-owned producer, which recently became a certified member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia.

The certification was approved after a review of the winery's business practices and the enactment of a Sustainability Action Plan for the winery and two vineyard sites.

The Burch family and team members - including chief winemaker Nic Bowen (above) - spent a day with the gardening team planting the trees.

This tree-planting was part of a long-term plan to re-establish a wildlife corridor from both ends of the family winery's property.

SWA is the national program for grape growers and winemakers promoting those producers dedicated to working with the land in a more holistic and environmentally friendly way.

“As a second-generation family business that works in harmony with the land, we know first-hand the challenges a changing environment has on the wines we produce, and our philosophy has grown and evolved in response to that," says general manager and marketing director Natalie Burch.

"Ultimately our aim is to leave our sites and beautiful region in a better state than how we received it.

“The vineyard and the winery teams are passionate about finding new and innovative solutions to work with the natural resources available to us more sustainably. The SWA initiative provides us with a wonderful framework to set that up successfully.”

Some of the key areas Howard Park focused on for its SWA recognition include better record-keeping systems in the vineyard and winery, tighter biosecurity controls, reviewing and managing inputs like plastic waste, and formulating these changes in the Sustainability Action Plan.

Native tree species in this planting included Marri, Banksia, Swamp bottlebrush, Peppermints, and Paperbarks, which will provide food, nesting sites, and connectivity for the movement of species including the Western ringtail possum.

See www.howardparkwines.com.au/provenance/viticulture-sustainability