Carbon benefits
Trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere and store it as wood
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Many farmers are already seeing the impacts of global climate change on
local scales.
Every farm creates emissions as part of its daily operations. You can reduce your farm's carbon footprint and create new market opportunities with trees. Planting trees also helps improve the sustainability of Tasmania's landscapes to fight against climate change.
Balance your farm's emissions and prepare for the future by growing trees.
Carbon emissions on farms
The main sources of greenhouse gas emissions on Tasmanian farms are:
- Ruminant digestion of stock producing methane
- Use of nitrogen fertilisers producing nitrogenous gases
- Land use change releasing carbon and removing sequestering trees
- Soil cultivation releasing carbon and nitrogen
- Fossil fuel use in farms with high energy usage (from irrigation pumps or dairy infrastructure).
Governments and markets around the world have set targets to reduce emissions, including in Australia. As a Tasmanian farmer, it's highly likely that you will need to reduce your emissions in the coming years.
The first step in balancing your farm's emissions is to make efficiency improvements (e.g., using less fossil fuels). This will reduce emissions at the source, which is made possible by new technologies and farming techniques.
When you cannot make any more efficiency improvements, you can use trees to remove the rest of your farm's emissions from the atmosphere. You should have enough trees on your farm to balance your emissions.
Learn more about carbon emissions and how trees can help:
Calculate and reduce your emissions
The amount of greenhouse gas your farm creates depends on your operations and how you manage them.
To balance your farm's emissions, you first need to understand how much carbon you are emitting. Then you can take steps to reduce it. The five main stages of this process are:
1. Identify the main sources of emissions, which is highly impacted by the presence of livestock
2. Calculate the rate of emissions and record a baseline (greenhouse gas emissions at one point in time)
3. Design an emissions-reduction strategy, which can include efficiency improvements and tree planting
4. Implement your strategy, which may take place over a number of years
5. Re-measure emissions to evaluate the impact of activities and report results.
There are many useful tools to help you estimate your emissions and start planning a response.
Consulting foresters and carbon auditors can also help throughout the process. This includes measuring and demonstrating how effective your activities have been, which is vital if you're looking to access the carbon market.
Did you know?
Agriculture generates around 13% of Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions – the third largest emitting sector.
How do trees reduce emissions?
Trees soak up carbon from the atmosphere and store it in their trunks, branches, bark, roots and leaves. This process is known as carbon sequestration. It starts as soon as a tree begins to grow.
Alternative material
Trees can be harvested and processed into wood products. This provides a sustainable alternative to materials such as metal, concrete and plastic, which emit more carbon during their lifecycles.
Wood products continue to store a large percentage of the carbon that was sequestered by the tree. It's only released once the wood product decays or is burnt.
Renewable energy
Trees produce organic matter known as biomass. Biomass can be converted into bioenergy, which is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. Bioenergy can be used to produce electricity, heat and transport fuels.
Bioenergy can also reduce emissions by diverting waste from landfill. The market in Tasmania is in its early stages, but is growing.
Learn more about bioenergy in Tasmania:
Net zero
By 2030, it's highly likely that Tasmanian farming businesses will need to be carbon neutral.
Create income from carbon
Balancing your emissions is good for the environment and your bottom-line. Learn how the carbon market can work for you and your farm.
Growing the future: Carbon benefits
Interview: Carbon benefits
Kenilworth - Demonstration site
Active management of private native regrowth forests for Climate Change, Carbon and Fire
The carbon market: Opportunities and challenges for Tasmanian farmers
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Governments and markets across the world are moving towards new environmental standards focused on reduced carbon emissions. To protect the environment and meet changing requirements, Tasmanian farmers should consider their emissions and how they could move towards net zero.
