Mending the damage done

Ballarat Courier
Wednesday 5/3/2008 Page: 31

Churchhill Fellow, Lismore farmer, farm forester and Victorian AFG 2006 tree farmer of the year, and member of SMARTimbers Cooperative, Andrew Lang, calls for a long-term strategy for Australia's rural sustainability. ONE new rural industry - a greatly expanded farm forestry sector- stands out for its potential for improving the sustainability of rural communities and industry, for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and for improving Australia's longterm balance of trade and resource security.

This would consist of planting up to 10 per cent of most farms as dispersed, well-sited strip woodlots of sawlog species. For Victoria, this means we would establish at least 500,000 ha of integrated farm forestry over the next 30 years. For Australia it means about 5 million hectares over this period. This amount of planting would replace only a small fraction of the tree cover cleared since first settlement.

In some countries, farm forestry on this scale or greater is a major source of timber to industry. It provides the feedstock for production of a significant fraction of those nation's energy, and it is a source of ongoing significant jobs and substantial export income. As well as for sustainable timber production, family forest is managed for habitat, biodiversity, cultural heritage, for recreation and to protect water quality.

The lessons from countries like Finland, Austria, Sweden and Denmark are what they call family forestry and can be beneficial for the growers, the environment and local communities, and produce significant export income. In Victoria, and Australia generally, farmland has been overcleared. Remaining remnant native vegetation on farms is inexorably dying off. We have an urgent need for plantings for environmental repair- for combating the spread of dryland salinity, for stopping erosion of stream banks, for intercepting nutrient run-off from paddocks and milking sheds.

This can be provided by well-designed well-sited woodlots of suitable species being managed for timber production and other purposes. Crucially this scale of planting will remove millions of tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere, significantly reducing Australia's net greenhouse gas emissions.

Planting up to 10 per cent of any farm, as well-sited strip woodlots, improves farm productivity by improving shelter and reducing surface evaporation. These plantings can also soak up winter water-logging and attract birds and beneficial insects. Birds help control insect pests, while beneficial insects such as bees help pollinate many crop species, resulting in higher yields. Shelter and improved productivity are indirect forms of income. The production of quality timber as poles and as logs will add a useful income stream to farmers' books. Sale of carbon credits and environmental benefits will be another potential regular income stream. And these woodlots will lift farm value.

In Scandinavia and elsewhere woody biomass -the otherwise valueless by-products from family forestry- replaces fossil fuels to produce carbon-neutral, baseload energy. The ash is recycled as fertiliser. In Finland, up to 22 per cent of all energy in the country is produced from small and large plants, close to most towns and cities and many industries. In Australia we have an increasing commitment to renewable energy. Here woody biomass can provide half our renewable energy. It is cheaper than either solar and wind energy, is able to be decentralised and can be cofired with municipal flammable waste or coal. Industrial volumes of gaseous and liquid biofuels will be produced from woody biomass.

Ongoing employment is a key benefit of an expanded farm forestry sector. Site preparation, fencing, nursery production, planting, management, harvest and processing all add to regional employment. Bioenergy plants, and manufacturing timber products will employ additional large numbers. There is employment generation of about 1.3 jobs per 100 ha of forestry. For 500,000 ha of farm forestry (in addition to native and plantation forestry) there will be direct creation of at least 6500 new jobs scattered mainly through rural Victoria. Or about 65,000 jobs across Australia.

Farm forestry on this scale is a self-funding profitable industry, requiring only initial government support and stimulus, and more importantly, clear legislation. Once the initial scale of plantings is established it is sustainable indefinitely, along with benefits and jobs. Farmers already own the land and are open to a new enterprise that will earn money, reduce climate risks and provide carbon offsets.

Our international commitments require massive carbon sequestration and substantial renewable energy production, including biofuels. Timber produced replaces current imports. The environment needs the extra trees. And at this sort of planting and dispersed siting there is no significant effect on catchment stream flows, and no displacement of communities.