Economics

Bringing more value to everything Tasmanian through renewability

In 2022, Tasmania will be one of the only places in the world that has 100% renewable energy. According to Todd Babiak, CEO of Brand Tasmania, being 100% renewable is a huge opportunity for Tasmania for almost all of our products. What if, in addition to 100% renewable energy, we could also have zero-net emissions on farms through...

How Stephen Clarke can help you capitalise on the extensive benefits of trees

Senior Private Forester Stephen Clarke is a professional Forester (BScFor (Stell) MBA MIFA RPF) with extensive experience. Zimbabwean born, Stephen studied forestry at the University of Stellenbosch, before working in New Zealand and now Tasmania.

Tasmanian Forest Industry launches COVID-19 Recommended Practices

The Tasmanian Forest Industry has today released a document of recommended practices to help the industry to continue to operate safely as COVID-19 restrictions ease.

The 45-page document “COVID-19 Recommended Practices for Tasmanian Forest Industry Operations” was created as a collaboration between industry stakeholders in Tasmania, on the Mainland and abroad.

Forest Practices Authority Property-Scale Planning Tool Survey

The Forest Practices Authority is in the first stages of developing a property-scale planning tool to assist landowners and private forest owners in making the best economic and environmental decisions when planning forest practices on their land.

The tool is intended to save time and money for landowners without compromising environmental outcomes.

The aim of this survey is to get...

Red Hot tips for practical busfire management

Update from State Fire Management Council.

Minister Shelton, Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management, has announced the enhanced Red Hot Tips Program.

Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences - Australia's forests and forestry glossary

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) has released 'Australia's forests and forestry glossary', a stand-alone publication, developed from the glossary published in Australia's State of the Forests Report 2018.

Socio-economic impacts of the forest industry

University of Canberra - EconSearch ,May 2018 - Jacki Schirmer, Mel Mylek, Anders Magnusson, Brigitta Yabsley, Julian Morison

The forest industry in Australia contributes to jobs and economic activity in many communities.

During the last decade, there has been little information on how the industry is changing in different regions, including change in the number of jobs generated, dependence of different communities...

Tasmanian Forest Industry launches COVID-19 Mental Health and Wellbeing video series

The Tasmanian Forest Industry has released a four-part video series to support mental health and wellbeing within the industry through COVID-19.

The videos were created as a collaboration between eight industry organisations and supported by the Tasmanian Government.

Click here to view videos.

How Private Forest Tasmania is supporting our farmers grow the future

Private Forests Tasmania is leading a project that will provide funding to Tasmanian farmers for the planting of trees on Tasmania farms. Co-funded by Private Forests Tasmania, the federal government (through the Smart Farming Grant) and primary producers, the project seeks to develop a landscape-scale best practice integration of shelterbelts and woodlots into the Tasmanian agricultural landscape.

Private Forests Tasmania's Rob Smith offers his expertise to advance Tasmania and help the planet

Rob offers his expertise to advance Tasmania and help the planet at the same time

Originally from Wales, UK Rob has been a Private Forester with PFT for the last 15 years.

Bringing his passion for forests and the outdoors to PFT, Rob was in similar roles in South Queensland, Northern New South Wales and before...

Tasmanian Government releases COVID Safe Workplace Guidelines

The Tasmanian Government has released the COVID Safe Workplace Guidelines for the Forestry Industry (the Guidelines).

The Guidelines set out what employers should do as they continue, or seek to resume, business operations. By following these Guidelines, workplaces will be able to show their compliance with minimum standards determined by Public Health, and with the requirements of the Work Health and...

Forest Safety Code Review - Have your say on how to keep it relevant to the Tasmanian forest industry

In order to ensure the revised Tasmanian Forest Safety Code continues to be relevant to the Tasmanian Forest Industry PF Olsen Australia is seeking your input. Over the next six months sections of the 2007 Code will be progressively reviewed and updated.

Project update for the Forest Safety Code review conducted by PF Olsen Australia

Since the end of August, the project manager PF Olsen Australia, has reviewed the responses received to the Preliminary Draft of the revised Forest Safety Code (Tasmania).

Industry associations and regional organisations to drive export success

14 August 2020 - Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Trade

Tasmanian industry associations and regional organisations will have the opportunity to support Tasmanian businesses to team up to find, build and grow export markets through the new Tasmanian Trade Alliance Program.

Matching corporate investment with potential growers, Tasmania's customised approach to help grow the future

Private forests are the dominant source of forest products, providing more than half of Tasmania’s annual wood harvest. The bulk of that supply comes from private plantations, managed largely for wood fibre production and export. The future growth potential for wood resource in Tasmania is likely limited to rural private properties but is nevertheless significant.With the global demand...

Stephen Clarke can help you capitalise on the extensive benefits of trees

Senior Private Forester Stephen Clarke is a professional Forester (BScFor (Stell) MBA MIFA RPF) with extensive experience. Zimbabwean born, Stephen studied forestry at the University of Stellenbosch, before working in New Zealand and now Tasmania. During his career, Stephen has gained considerable experience and expertise in integrated management systems and certification, tactical and operational planning, logistics, industrial engineering,...

Fifteen years of the joint venture Agroforestry Program

Australian Government Initiative, June 2009 - John Powell

The aim of this report is to increase public awareness of the role, value and potential of farm forestry and agroforestry and to highlight the importance of focussed national research and development.

It highlights the broad scope of JVAP and its main achievements, and comments on how significant the knowledge being generated by JVAP...

Plantations and sustainable rural communities

ANU Forestry, University Western Australia, January 2003 - Jacki Schirmer, Mathew Tonts

Tree plantations are often hailed as providing a wide range of economic, social and environmental benefits to rural regions.

Yet in many of the regions where plantations have been established, members of rural communities and environmental groups have expressed various concerns about the effects of large-scale tree plantings. If plantations...

The Australian Farm Forestry Financial Model

University Queensland, Marine and Tropical Science Research Facility, Care Pty Ltd, August 2009 - John Herbon, Nick Emtage, Steve Harrison, David Thompson

The Australian Farm Forestry Financial Model (AFFFM) has been developed as a tool for the financial appraisal of farm forestry investments.

It is a whole-farm financial model developed in modules using Visual Basics as the programming language, and provides estimates...

Climate futures for Tasmania

Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems CRC, December 2010 - Corney SP, Katzfey JJ, McGregor JL, Grose MR, Bennett JC, White CJ, Holz GK, Gaynor SM, Bindoff NL

The Climate Futures for Tasmania research project is Tasmania’s most important source of climate change information tailored specifically for the local climate and conditions of Tasmania. In a first for Australia, and possibly the southern...

Modelling the costs and benefits of Agroforestry systems

CSIRO, November 2018 - Daniel Mendham

Integrating trees into agricultural production systems can provide a range of benefits that may add substantial value to farm enterprises. Here, the Imagine bioeconomic model was applied to agroforestry systems at four sites in Tasmania.

The aim was to understand the costs and benefits of a range of P. radiate agroforestry system configurations(2 row belt, 5...

The economic benefits of native shelter belts report - Issue 3/2015

Balsalttobay Landcare Network, 2015 - Lisette Mill

The protection of existing native vegetation and the planting of shelter belts may provide a multitude of productivity and biodiversity benefits for farming industries. The value of shelterbelts in raising agricultural productivity has been demonstrated in many countries suggesting potential improvements in crop yields (25%), pasture yields (20-30%), and dairy milk production (10-20%).

The following...

Economic Impact of Forestry in New Zealand - Te uru Rakau May 2020

PWC, May 2020 - Te Uru Rakau

New Zealand is currently experiencing an increase in forestry as a land-use. This follows a period of rapid planting in the 1990s and early 2000s and a decade of low planting and deforestation since the mid-2000s. The current resurgence in planting has raised concerns by sheep and beef farmers that afforestation will reduce employment...

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

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

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...

Understanding the values behind farmer perceptions of trees on farms to increase adoption of agroforestry in Australia

Agronomy for Sustainable Development, January 2019 - Aysha Fleming, Anthony P O'Grady, Daniel Menham, Jacqueline England, Patrick Mitchell, Martin Moroni, Arthur Lyons

Agriculture faces increasing sustainability pressures. Land intensification and degradation, energy use and inputs, complex environmental management, social issues facing farming communities and climate change are just some of the headline sustain-ability concerns threatening the viability of farming. Simultaneously, there...

Assessing the likelihood of widespread landholder adoption of afforestation and reforestation projects

Global Environmental Change 24, 2014 - Jacki Schirimer, Lyndall Bull

Tree planting for carbon sequestration is a commonly proposed climate change mitigation strategy, with afforestation projects forming part of voluntary and mandatory carbon offset trading schemes.

Afforestation is often promoted as a new economic opportunity for private landholders. While multiple studies have identified physical and economic opportunities for afforestation, few have examined...

Modelling Financially Optimal Afforestation and Forest Management Scenarios Using a Bio-Economic Model

Scientific Research Publishing, January 2016 - Mary Ryan, Cathal O'Donoghue, Henry Phillips

The expansion of non-industrial private forests (NIPF) in Ireland is unique in the European context in which the almost doubling of forest cover within the last thirty years has taken place largely on farmland.

This is not surprising as Ireland has some of the highest growth rates for conifers in...

Promises and perils of plantation forestry

Forests, Business and Sustainability - Jacki Schirmer, Roamain Pirard, Peter Kanowski

Plantation forestry is an increasingly important part of the global forestry industry. In the decade to 2010, global expansion of planted forests averaged five million hectares (ha) annually, mostly through afforestation of land that had not been recently forested (FAO 2010).

This rate of expansion is substantially higher than in previous...

Plantations and social conflict: exploring the differences between small-scale and large-scale plantation forestry

February 2007 - Jacki Schirmer

Commercial afforestation of agricultural land is often associated with social conflict over the perceived environmental, economic and social impacts of the plantations being established. One of the most common solutions suggested to this conflict is a shift from large-scale afforestation by companies and government agencies to small-scale afforestation by individual landholders.

Small-scale afforestation by farmers is argued...

Socio-economic impacts of forestry - Tasmania, May 2018

University Canberra, EconSearch, Forest & Wood Products Australia , May 2018 - Jacki Schirmer, Mel Mylek, Anders Magnusson, Brigitta Yabsley, Julian Morison

The forest industry in Australia contributes to jobs and economic activity in many communities. During the last decade, there has been little information on how the industry is changing in different regions, including change in the number of jobs...

Tree Planting Guide

Waitaki Irrigators Collective

The guide is intended to provide some basic information about the planting of trees and other non-prodcutive plants on irrigated farms.

Full advice and information onn species and planning should be obtained from the sources listed at the end of this booklet, and local nurseries.

Learn more.

Forests for life - Farm Forestry and Landcare Program

Western Australian Government NRM Program , June 2018 - Daniel Mackey, John Gregg

This report investigates the proposed program of a large agroforestry project in the South West and Great Southern regions of Western Australia, Forests for Life Farm Forestry and Landcare Program.

The report considers the project viability concerning environmental, financial and social costs and benefits and the program sponsor, Forests...

Tasmanian Forest Safety Code Review

The Forest Safety Code (Tasmania) (the Code) provides practical guidance on how to manage risks in the Tasmanian forest industry. The code has been preserved as an approved code of practice under the Work Health and Safety Act 2012. Last reviewed and published in October 2007, the Code is in need of revision to remove outdated references and include contemporary...

Greenhythe: This Tamar Valley farm is a perfect example of the multiple benefits of trees.

Ed Archer is a fifth-generation Tasmanian farmer. Owner and operator of his 1,400-hectare Tamar Valley farm, Greenhythe, Ed’s predominate enterprise is grazing livestock and seedstock. Ed’s father began diversifying the family farm with plantations over 20 years ago and has since continued the practice. Offering a range of benefits to the farm including providing shelter for livestock, a reduction in...