Philip HOPKINS
TREE plantations, including trees on farms, are set to expand in Gippsland through new funding allocated by the Victorian and federal governments.
Victoria will spend $10 million as part of the Victorian Plantation Support Program to establish new long-rotation timber plantations. This additional funding will be for projects approved under select rounds of the Commonwealth’s Support Plantation Establishment Program.
Victorian growers looking to develop new plantations can receive up to $1000 per hectare under the program to assist with plantation establishment activities. Combined with the Commonwealth program, new plantations of 20 hectares or more in Victoria can receive up to $3000 per hectare, with a cap of up to $200,000 per project.
About 2.4 million tree seedlings have been planted this year through the Gippsland Plantations Investment Program by Hancock Victorian Plantations. This year’s planting has brought the total number of trees planted to more than 3.5 million.
The $190 million Victorian plantation program, which largely targets softwood pine, is designed to replace the hardwood eucalypt timber lost to the Gippsland forestry industry when the Victorian government shut down the state’s native forestry industry last year.
This program involves the planting of up to 16 million trees over a 10-year period. The timber, when harvested at about 30 years, will create wood supply that will build Victoria’s future homes, create regional jobs, and produce paper and packaging products to replace single use plastics.
The Minister for Agriculture, Ros Spence, said demand for timber was expected to quadruple globally over the next 50 years. “We’re making sure Victoria has a secure supply,” she said.
The Victorian Forest Products Association Chief Executive, Andrew White, said the planting of 2.4 million trees this year through the Gippsland Plantations Investment Program was a clear demonstration of what’s possible when government and industry work together.
“This is a terrific new initiative that will help overcome the upfront barriers to new plantation establishment,” he said.
Ms Spence also launched the Victorian Trees on Farms Program, which offers grants of up to $80,000 for landholders to plant trees on their property. The trees provide long-term farm productivity solutions, including boosting shade and shelter for livestock, improving stock and crop production, offsetting carbon emissions or generating income through carbon credits.
Landholders will also be able to generate additional income through timber production, including from harvested wood products or use the timber for on-farm uses such as firewood and fence posts.
An additional grants program – the Trees on Farms Incubator Program – is offering planting service providers and forestry professionals up to $50,000 to support landowners who might be contemplating planting trees on their property.
This service will help landowners develop tailored, implementation-ready project plans to align with their property and planting goals, while providing education, training and upskilling for tree planting and management activities.
The Labor Member for Eastern Victoria, Tom McIntosh, said growing trees on farms makes sense in so many ways.
“I encourage people to apply for these funds to improve farms, increase hardwood timber supply, and provide additional income to farmers,” he said.
Federally, 15 new projects worth a combined $19 million and spread across NSW, Western Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and the Northern Territory have been announced in Round 3 of the Support Plantation Establishment Program. It’s part of the Albanese government’s $300 million investment into the long-term future of Australia’s forestry sector.
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins, said the investment boosted future wood supply and helped grow a skilled and sustainable workforce.
The funding will bring the total number of new hectares planted under the program to around 25,000 hectares. Total funding under the $73 million SPEP is more than $46 million to date.
