Clean Energy Future

A Victorian farm has become one of the first environmental planting project approved under the Carbon Farming Initiative.

Farmers Peter and Christine Forster have been direct seeding unused land on their Bullock Hills property with local native species such as Red Gum and Black Wattle since 2010, and are now sequestering approximately 4.5 tonnes of carbon emissions per hectare per year.

“The Bullock Hills Direct Seeding Project is an excellent example of how Australian farmers can improve their land and local environment while contributing to Australia’s reduction of harmful carbon pollution,” Mark Dreyfus, Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, said following a visit to the property last week.

“Carbon farming projects such as this strengthen the land and generate carbon credits, which provide extra income for farmers who can sell them to heavy polluting businesses that need to offset their carbon emissions.”

The Environmental Plantings of Native Species methodology involves the establishment and management of permanent native forests that increase removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

This means farmers can plant and/or seed native species on cleared or partially cleared land.

The benefits of planting native tree species go beyond carbon storage. Shelter belts of native species for lambing paddocks can boost lambing percentages by up to 15 per cent, while the right species mix can improve soils through nitrogen fixation and nutrient cycling and provide habitat for wildlife.

Environmental Planting joins with other CFI methodologies already in place, such as Savanna Burning and Destruction of Methane from Manure in Piggeries, to provide opportunities for Australian farmers and landholders to benefit from a low carbon future.

Further information on the Carbon Farming Initiative can be found at http://www.climatechange.gov.au/government/initiatives/carbon-farming-initiative.aspx .