South Coast NRM Assets

Farm Forestry

The integration of commercial revegetation - tree and native plant crops - into agricultural landscapes is playing a key role in building industry and diversity for land managers as well as protecting the land from threats of salinity and land degradation.

South Coast’s Farm Forestry Facilitator provides stakeholders with information and assistance to develop ways to diversify their farm business, as well as delivering positive NRM outcomes, such as environmental repair.

The project is assisting to develop tree cropping and native plant industry contracts as well as facilitating aspects of farm forestry for landholders and strategic catchment groups.

Through this work there has been an increase in capacity and confidence of landholders and the community, to integrate commercial woody perennial systems and land use practices into farm enterprises.

The project has secured at least one (1) large scale sandalwood plantation (minimum 150 ha) through private investment for the Region.

The Research and Development Strategy for Casuarina obesa (Swamp sheok)has been implemented, along with 300ha of Casuarina obesa for saltland reclamation in the less than 600mm rainfall zone, has been established.

The newly developed Master TreeGrower Project will deliver a range of training courses and educational tools for landholders to stimulate the implementation of integrated farm forestry in priority areas across the Region.

The project has also coordinated site inductions at Gairdner and Ongerup farms for GreenSkills supervisors and environmental trainees who completed pruning and thinning work in native timber trials as part of the Silvicultural Management of Strategic Innovation Sites Project.