AS was the practice 40 years ago, sections of Justin Taheny’s farmland near The Pines was cleared of its natural vegetation for cropping. 
About 21 acres of this low basin country immediately went saline, which has been a problem ever since.
Justin and his wife Jo successfully applied for a Native Vegetation Council Significant Environmental Grant last year which they will use to rehabilitate the largely barren and unproductive land.
A Western Australian-designed mounding machine has visited the property to loosen the saline soil and create mounds for the planting of salt bush seed later this year.
The object of the mounds is to leech the salt downward, away from the seed bed, allowing the salt bush and tree varieties time to establish and thrive.
The mounds are spaced about five metres and amount to 35 kilometres.
Instead of sowing seed straight away, a seed mix of predominantly melaleuca halmaturorum will be sown into the mounds mid-year.
The idea is to allow maximum time for the leeching of salt as it inhibits natural germination.
The mounding machine worked well in the 300-400 millimetres of topsoil, which lays over solid limestone.
Although the machine had some issues with the local rocks it was repaired thanks to the generosity of local businesses.
Currently, 21 hectares of the Taheny’s land awaits seeding from a trial of a range of plant species.
Jo and Justin look forward to the planting as a way to rehabilitate the land for future generations, including their four children.