Iconic effort at Lennox

THE difference 10 years of tree planting has made to the iconic Lennox headland is easily seen.

At last Friday's event - held annually to mark World Environment Day - previous years' plantings were marked on the headland so participants could see how seedlings had now grown into advanced littoral rainforest species.

Rob van Iersel, a director of Lennox Head firm GeoLINK, which has organised the tree-planting days in partnership with Ballina Shire Council for the past decade, said he was not surprised with the results and the support the event had received.

More than 600 people have volunteered their time over the years to restore the rainforest at the headland, and planted more than 10,000 trees.

"It's not hard to get people enthused," Rob said.

"There's really good spirit around Lennox."

Council's natural resources extension officer, James Brideson, estimated that 60% of the top of the headland had been replanted with rainforest species.

The land once had been used for farming.

And the trees have brought back wildlife - including swamp wallabies - to the area popular with tourists and locals alike.

The event began, Rob said, because GeoLINK wanted to get involved in an environmentally-based community project "to put something back".

It is a shining example, Mr Brideson agreed, of private enterprise, the community and council working successfully in partnership.

Lennox Head Public School students get involved each year, and they again enjoyed getting their hands dirty.