Engineered Woodlands Putting commercial trees back into cleared landscapes

Engineered Woodlands Much of Northern Inland NSW has been extensively cleared for agriculture

Engineered Woodlands Some landholders have embraced environmental plantings

Engineered Woodlands But the scale of re-vegetation is small and reliant on government funding

Engineered Woodlands Large scale re-vegetation requires commercial tree growing options

Engineered Woodlands But landholders are unwilling to replace annual agricultural incomes with risky long-term returns from trees

Engineered Woodlands Integrate commercial trees into existing agricultural systems Minimise loss of agricultural income Maximise tree growth and survival Source income from other benefits The Solution

Maintain agricultural incomes Engineered Woodlands Multiple income/benefit streams Timber Carbon credits Higher lambing rates from shelter

Engineered Woodlands Critical Success Factors Soil preparation Fallow Weed control Weed control!

Engineered Woodlands Critical Success Factors Planting the right species Frost hardy Having a market Fast growth Re-introducing agriculture quickly

Engineered Woodlands Critical Success Factors Can our farmers access it? What is it worth? Are the rules too inflexible? The carbon market

Engineered Woodlands Does it pay? Results from a typical Northern Tablelands farm using whole-farm financial modeling and assuming: 11% of farm planted to contour belts over 10 yrs (15 ha per $421/ha establishment cost) Stock shelter benefits only: 10% increase in lambing rate 50% in sheep death rate No timber income Internal rate of return = 32% Net Present Value = $87/ha As a result of increased sales of surplus hoggets, ewes and wethers