Trees on farms

The establishment of trees on farms provides benefits not just to the landowners who own the trees, but also the wider community. Well managed trees can deliver timber or firewood to local markets and communities, create biodiversity and habitat, and deliver a range of natural capital values related to soil and water that extend beyond the farm gate.

But growing trees successfully to meet your objectives often isn’t as easy as it seems – that’s why the Victorian Government is helping rural landowners to plant and manage trees on farms and promote the long-term success of tree-growing projects.

This support includes funding to assist with on-farm planning and decision-making, as well as grants to help with the purchase of seedlings, and tree establishment and management.

Benefits of establishing trees on farms

Potential benefits of new trees to a farming system include:

• improved shade and shelter for livestock
• enhanced water quality
• reduced erosion
• improved soil health
• enhanced biodiversity
• increased biosecurity
• creation of wood products for use on farm (such as fence posts and firewood)
• carbon sequestration – to lower a farm’s net carbon emissions.

Farm forestry also provides economic opportunities with which farmers may diversify their farm income:

• Wood products – trees can be grown to harvest and sell, as well as be used for on farm purposes. This contributes to the availability of sustainable wood products for on-farm use or sale.
• Carbon sequestration – carbon captured and stored in new tree plantings can be used by landowners to offset their emissions to support efforts to achieve carbon neutrality. Plantings of appropriate scale can generate carbon credits that can be sold by landowners to heavy emitters seeking to offset their own emissions and generate additional sources of revenue.

Farm forestry or environmental plantings?

Trees on farms can be managed in different ways to achieve different outcomes.

Farm forestry – often referred to as agroforestry – is a land management practice that integrates trees with agricultural systems to provide for specified (usually multiple) management objectives. More trees on a farm can enhance agricultural production, improve economic returns and protect environmental values.

When integrated into a farming system, native mixed-species plantings, commonly referred to as ‘environmental plantings’, can provide value by buffering riparian corridors, combating erosion or salinity, increasing biodiversity, pollination or other environmental services.

In some cases, farm forestry and environmental plantings might not look so different. Establishing a mix of species with known timber qualities and managing the trees for timber may provide many of the functional attributes of an environmental planting. Similarly, buffering a farm forestry planting with environmental plantings, or establishing a plantation adjacent to native remnant vegetation, increases the habitat function between the 2 planting types.

Looking to take the next step?

To assist landowners in establishing trees on farms to capitalise on these benefits, the Victorian Government has introduced 2 new programs:

• Victorian Trees on Farms Program
• Trees on Farms Incubator Program

Victorian Trees on Farms Program

The Victorian Trees on Farms Program (VToF) is an initiative seeking to assist rural landowners to integrate trees into their agricultural land. Through the program, the Victorian Government will support the establishment of trees on farms to take advantage of the multiple benefits they provide when strategically integrated into farming systems. These include delivering timber, carbon, and co-benefits that support agricultural productivity.

Trees on Farms Incubator Program

The Trees on Farms Incubator Program supports communities of rural landowners to receive in-depth training and planning advice that will help strengthen technical knowledge and informed decision-making.

Trees on Farms Utilisation Program

Trees on Farms Utilisation Program assists existing farm forestry plantation owners to realise the commercial potential of farm plantation assets, while helping to strengthen the State’s wood supply. ​

Eligible landowners with plantations between 3 and 30 hectares can apply for a free assessment of their plantations conducted by professional forestry expert, and receive a farm plantation assessment report containing insights into the plantation’s commercial potential, at no cost and with no obligation

Information session recordings

Missed the information sessions? Watch the recordings below.

For more information on these programs, contact the program team at plantationforestry@deeca.vic.gov.au