Trees on farms to support natural capital: An evidence-based review for grazed dairy systems

Posted 14 July 2020

Managing trees On-farm benefits Economic benefits and markets Carbon benefits Native regrowth forest management

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Intensification of the dairy industry globally, combined with a changing climate, has placed increased pressure on natural capital assets (and the flow of ecosystem services) on farms.

Agroforestry is widely promoted as an intervention to address these issues.

While some benefits of integrating trees on farms, such as carbon sequestration and biodiversity, are reasonably well known, less is known about other potential benefits, such as on-farm production.

This report helps to develop an understanding and quantifying the benefits of trees on farms which could be used to inform farm planning and decision-making.

We used a systematic review approach to analyse the evidence base for biophysical ecosystem services from woody systems (including shelterbelts, riparian plantings, plantations, pasture trees, silvo pasture and remnant native vegetation) provided to grazed dairy enterprises.

We identified 83 publications containing 123 records that fit our review criteria of reporting on biophysical ecosystem services from woody systems on dairy farms relative to a grazed pasture comparison.

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ELSEVIER, November 2019- Jacqueline R England, Anthony P O'Grady, Aysha Fleming, Zara Marais, Daniel Mendham