Farm forestry is the practice of strategically planting trees on farms. More trees on farm can protect environmental values and improve economic returns.
Potential benefits of new trees to a farming system include:
- improved shade and shelter of livestock
- enhanced water quality
- reduced erosion
- improved soil health
- enhanced biodiversity
- creation of wood products for use on farm (such as fence posts and firewood)
- carbon sequestration – to lower a farm's net carbon emissions.
Economic opportunities from farm forestry
Farm forestry provides a range of opportunities for farmers to diversify farm income:
- Wood products – trees can be grown to harvest and sell. This contributes to the availability of sustainable wood products.
- Carbon credits – new tree plantings of a significant scale can be used generate carbon credits and reduce emissions. These credits can be sold by landowners to heavy emitters seeking to offset their own emissions.