What is farm forestry? How do I learn more about farm forestry? Is the Blue Gum plantation industry considered farm forestry? Can I grow pines? Can I grow Oil Mallees? What farm forestry species can be grown for sawlogs? How do I invest in private forestry in the Great Southern region of WA?

What is farm forestry?

Farm forestry is all forms of commercial tree growing of diverse species for wood products on farms, integrated with the normal agricultural practices. Farm forestry holds the middle ground between environmental plantings and the establishment of large-scale plantations for commercial purposes. Farm forestry design may include plantation trees on paddock blocks within the farm, wide spaced trees spread over an area where cropping and/or grazing is maintained between the trees or trees planted in belts across the farm plan providing shelter and shade to farming enterprises. Farm forestry may aim to produce conventional wood products as a supplementary resource to the plantation forestry industry, or it may aim to provide niche products such as small volumes of high value timbers. Other products may include foliage, fruit, honey and biomass for renewable energy. Farm foresters may elect to add value to the forestry by pruning the trees or by processing the products before they leave the farm. Timbers from the trees may be used on the farm rather than buying timber.

For more information visit: www.affa.gov.au

How do I learn more about farm forestry?

Timber 2020 and related Western Australian PFDCs put landowners in contact with appropriate private and public advisers in farm forestry.

Is the Blue Gum plantation industry considered farm forestry?

The early efforts to establish a Blue Gum plantation industry targeted the farm forestry movement. It was recognised the greatest benefits would accumulate when trees were grown in conjunction with continuing farming operations. As a result many of the early plantations were sharefarms with CALM and other companies. Today, most of the Blue Gum companies are happy to explore growing Blue Gums on an integrated farm forestry design. The plantation companies have criteria of minimum areas and soil quality which must be met. However, if these criteria are satisfied they will lease portions of farms to meet the landowners farming requirements.

Can I grow pines?

Pines grow well in the region and tolerate drier conditions and poorer soils than Blue Gums. Pines are suitable for a range of products including structural grade timbers to furniture and paper. The Forest Products Commission has a program to encourage the establishment of Maritime Pine or Pinus pinaster in the areas too dry for Blue Gums and P. radiata.

Can I grow Oil Mallees?

Oil Mallees grow well in medium to low rainfall areas and even on saline sites. They are likely to offer considerable environmental and commercial on-farm benefits from forestry. The Oil Mallee Association is encouraging farmers to grow Oil Mallees for Integrated Wood Processing Plants (IWP). IWPs are designed to collect Oil Mallee foliage and stems harvested after 5 years, or less for coppice crops. The IWPs will distil Eucalyptus oil from the foliage, produce activated carbon from the wood and burn the residues for electricity generation. This has the potential to be an excellent solution to salt affected land, improving the power supply in the form of renewable energy to small regional towns and producing saleable products on an integrated basis. The pilot IWP is built at Narrogin.
The Oil Mallee Association has placed 5 regional representatives into strategic mallee cells to promote integrated mallee plantings on farmland. www.oilmallee.org.au. 

What farm forestry species can be grown for sawlogs?

Spotted Gum (Corymbia maculata), Sugar Gum (Eucalyptus cladocalyx) and Ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon), Flat Topped Yate (Eucalytus occidentalis) and She Oak species i.e. (Casuarina obesa) have potential for farm and specialty timbers in the medium rainfall areas - 450 - 600mm annual rainfall. There is a joint agency program currently encouraging investment on farms - the New Eucalypt Sawlog Program (NESI) established through the WA Government's Action Plan for Tree Farming. Contact the Forest Products Commission for further information. This programme is being promoted through 'Infinitree'.

Karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor), Flooded Gum (Eucalyptus grandis), Sydney Blue Gum (Eucalyptus saligna) and Southern Mahogony (Eucalyptus botryoides) have potential for solid wood production in the 800mm rainfall zone. Both the Casuarina species and Southern Mahogony are slightly salt tolerant.

Conventional sawing requires large diameter logs for successful processing. Growth rates are usually dependent upon rainfall. In the drier regions it may take long rotations to achieve log sizes for efficient sawmilling In higher rainfall areas (greater than 600mm), sawlog sizes may be grown in 20 - 30 years with early thinning of the trees to final crops of less than 200 stems per hectare.

There is potential for Poplar and Paulownia to grow in the region, with a significant potential for Goldfields timber production in the drier areas over very long rotations.
The list is by no means exhaustive. CALM has recently completed a search program for suitable species to grow in designated rainfall zones.

The Australian Low Rainfall Tree Improvement Group (ALRTIG), produces genetically improved tree seed for drier region farm forestry.

How do I invest in private forestry in the Great Southern region of WA?

The easiest way to invest is in one of the managed investment schemes offered by members of Timber 2020. While most of these companies offer investment in Blue Gums for the woodchip market, there is an increasing number of opportunities to invest in other species,targeting sawlogs and higher value timber logs. There are also managed investment schemes to invest in olives and wine grapes.