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.