Beat-A-Bug Corp. is donating a proportion of the proceeds of all sales of its products to organisations and programs whose aim is to reclaim salt affected land in Australia by planting trees to lower the water table.

With grateful thanks for the support of our customers, the first annual Beat-A-Bug Re-Tree planting occured this year on the 3rd and 4th of October. This was a collaborative planting involving the very generous labour supplied by Men Of The Trees and an area of salt affected farmland on a property called Auria (The name is "Australia" with "salt" removed.)

Auria is 450 acres of salt affected land and is now a full time research project run by Mr David Kennett, 20 kms North of the wheatbelt town of Dowerin in Western Australia. Approximately 3,500 seedlings were supplied by the Beat-A-Bug Re-Tree Project.

These trees were all local to the Dowerin area and included 10 different species of plants, of varying types and hieghts, which will eventually create three canopy levels. A further 3,500 seedlings (approximately) were supplied by David Kennett, again of a wide variety to create a further diversity and interest amongst the planting.

Around 10 volunteers from Men Of The Trees were involved in the planting, which was organised by David using his very interesting method, using a careful combination of companion planting and rod divining to find the most prosperous place for each particular plant to grow. Once this was established the tree planting "pattern" was configurated on a map and carried out both by hand planting of seedlings and by a manually operated tree planting impliment pulled by a tractor. With the knowledge that we are helping this damaged land the two days were satisfying and interesting experience for all.

Many thanks to David Kennett of Auria, all the volunteers from Men Of The Trees, Harley on the Tractor, and Vanessa Malcolm from Landcare Dowerin for making the weekend a success.