On-farm benefits
Trees increase farm productivity and create more sustainable operations
Trees support whole farm systems to operate more efficiently. They can also boost your farm's profits and protect the health and sustainability of your landscape.
Whether you're looking for shelter, healthy soils, or biodiversity, trees can help. Design your plantings around your farm's needs and operations to maximise results. The boost to productivity from trees can even exceed the value of timber from harvesting.
Plant trees strategically to improve your farm's operations as they grow.
Shelter
Trees protect farms from heat, rain and wind. This brings a range of benefits, including reducing stress on animals and crops. By planting trees for shelter, you can boost your farm's productivity in many ways:
- Animals – shelter reduces livestock mortality and improves growth rates
- Crops – shelter reduces damage to crops, improves soil fertility and extends growing seasons
- Water – shelter reduces evaporation and improves irrigator efficiency in paddocks
- Farm – shelter protects buildings and work areas and helps to control fire.
Learn more about how tree shelter can help you farm's productivity:
Farm Guide – Farm shelterThe value of shelter
A study of a 1ha shelterbelt in Cressy, Northern Tasmania, showed that shelter increased the productivity of a 24ha paddock to the equivalent of a 29ha paddock.
Shelterbelts
Shelterbelts are rows of trees that are typically placed around paddocks. They create shelter for stock and crops to improve productivity.
Shelterbelts can include native and exotic species, and trees can be used in commercial wood production.
Learn more about shelterbelts and other tree designs:
Soil health
Healthy soil is the key to your farm's productivity. But some farming activities can degrade soil over time. Use trees to improve soil health in the following ways:
- Erosion – Trees control wind speed, intercept rainfall, bind soils and control groundwater levels. This prevents soil erosion, landslip and the loss of fertile top soils.
- Fertility – Trees drop leaves, twigs and branches, which gives nutrients to the soil. Trees also provide habitat for animals that turn soils for nutrient cycling.
- Salinity – Trees intercept rainfall and uptake water from the ground. This controls groundwater flow and reduces the risk of salinisation (where excess salts gather in the soil surface).
Learn more about how trees improve soil health, including how to monitor for unhealthy soil:
Salinity in Tasmania
An estimated 74,000ha of
Tasmanian agricultural land
is affected by salinity.
Water quality
Many farms have rivers, streams, creeks and waterways. To keep landscapes, communities and livestock healthy, make sure that water coming onto your farm leaves in a similar condition.
Riparian plantings
Riparian vegetation is located at the edge of waterways (e.g., stream or rivers) and is made up of trees, shrubs, herbes, sedges, rushes and grasses.
Riparian vegetation offers many agricultural benefits, including improved water quality, increased flood resilience, enhanced biodiversity and habitat, and connectivity on farm and landscape level.
Biodiversity and habitat
Biodiversity is a key indicator for the health and sustainability of a farming operation.
Trees and vegetation support the ecological functions that underpin farm productivity and environmental outcomes. Trees, shrubs, plants, herbs and grasses provide important habitat for beneficial wildlife, which in turn deliver ecosystem services for your farm, such as pollination and pest control.
Learn more about biodiversity and habitat, including how to support the ecology of your farm:
Fact sheet 10: Biodiversity and habitatInfill planting
Infill planting is where grasses, herbs, shrubs and small trees are planted in a forested area. Infill planting creates groundcover and multiple layers of vegetation under taller trees. This provides habitat for wildlife and increases biodiversity. It also improves soil quality.
Protecting or restoring remnant vegetation can also help establish a healthy understorey in your plantation.
Learn more about infill plantings and other tree designs:
14. Tree configurations guide
Amenity and wellbeing
Trees improve the scenic quality of farms and can increase the value of farmland. Trees on farms also improve working conditions for staff by providing shade and wind shelter.
Measuring the amenity values of trees on farms is complex. But tree planting and land restoration has been found to improve farmer wellbeing and social connectedness. Models are being tested to measure the full economic values of these benefits.
Growing the future: On-farm benefits
Infill Planting with Rae Young & Jon Finch
Clare Peltzer - Logan prime lamb producer
Anh Nguyen - Ese vineyard owner
Chris White - Willowbend dairy
Andrew Colvin - Nosswick farm owner
Ed Archer - Landfall Angus
Trees are working on farms near you
Find case studies from projects across Tasmania that demonstrate the benefits of trees on farms.
