NOTICE: Hard copies of the Australian New Crops Newsletter are available from the publisher, Dr Rob Fletcher. Details of availability are included in the
Advice on Publications Available.David Carr
Senior Project Officer
Greening Australia
Kentucky Street
PO Box 1467
Armidale, NSW 2350
Telephone: 02 6772 3248
Facsimile: 02 6771 4094
Email: greenau@northnet.com.au
Farm forestry or agroforestry is the combination of forestry and agriculture to achieve a range of financial, social or environmental benefits.
When carried out with the level of planning appropriate to any new farm venture, farm forestry offers opportunities for landholders to benefit from their individual enterprise.
In order to minimise risks, potential farm foresters must define their needs and expectations and consider design principles, species selection, stand management and marketing.
Farm forestry has the potential in the northern region of New South Wales to produce a range of products, such as sawn timber, firewood, cabinet timber, farm timber, bushfood, cut flowers, fodder and oils.
Each product has different requirements, values and production times.
These products can provide short or long term income, can diversify farm income or can be used to hedge against fluctuations in commodity prices.
Careful design of the production systems will ensure that multiple benefits can be captured from farm forestry.
Rather than be limited to traditional forestry plantations, farm foresters can use their plantings to:
In long term projects such as saw log production, such benefits provide real short term returns which may cover establishment costs by themselves.
In low rainfall areas such as north western New South Wales, rotation times are in the order of 40 to 70 years for saw log production. Yet when good design incorporates other benefits, a farm forestry venture can pay for itself before the final crop is harvested.
Short term crops, such as fodder or selling small diameter timber, can increase the viability of the venture further.
Many environmental benefits can be gained from farm forestry design. Commercial species can be incorporated into habitat plantings and wildlife corridors.
Using local native species with commercial value addresses issues such as rural tree decline and dieback.
A more sustainable natural environment means a more environmentally and economically sustainable agricultural environment.
Design incorporates elements such as:
Design also incorporates a degree of personal taste.
It may suit one person to plant 40 ha of one species in six row shelter belts all in one year, while another person may prefer to plant wood lots at the rate of one hectare every year. Yet another may wish to incorporate widely spaced trees with an understorey of fodder saltbush.
Successful farm foresters are those who plan carefully, who consult experts and who do their own research.
Greening Australia can provide access to expertise and resources including the results of local agroforestry research.
Farm forestry can offer exciting opportunities for this region.
Any claims made by authors in the Australian New Crops Newsletter are presented by the Editors in good faith. Readers would be wise to critically examine the circumstances associated with any claims to determine the applicability of such claims to their specific set of circumstances. This material can be reproduced, with the provision that the source and the author (or editors, if applicable) are acknowledged and the use is for information or educational purposes. Contact with the original author is probably wise since the material may require updating or amendment if used in other publications. Material sourced from the Australian New Crops Newsletter cannot be used out of context or for commercial purposes not related to its original purpose in the newsletter
Contact: Dr Rob Fletcher, School of Land and Food, The University of Queensland Gatton College, 4345; Telephone: 07 5460 1311 or 07 5460 1301; Facsimile: 07 5460 1112; International facsimile: 61 7 5460 1112; Email:
r.fletcher@mailbox.uq.edu.au[
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GK; latest update 6 June 1999 by: RF