AN innovative, new farm forestry program designed to rapidly assess the suitability of farms for plantation forestry has been created.
Decision Tree, which also provides information and assistance to landowners seeking to plant trees, was officially launched in Bunbury recently.
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Through Decision Tree's unique assessment tool, farmers or landowners simply add in a few details such as their location and rainfall and the result will tell them if farm forestry is a potentially profitable crop choice.
From there, landowners have a choice of investment models and how closely they choose to work with industry professionals to manage the trees and assist in maximising carbon credits.
The South West Timber Hub (SWTH) is one of the key drivers of the project and its project manager Wendy Perdon said Decision Tree was a culmination of industry collaboration and a lot of hard work.
"Decision Tree will allow farmers and landowners to quickly assess if forestry is a profitable option, factoring in their local conditions, distance to mill, alternative land uses and carbon prices to generate a potential profit margin," Ms Perdon said.
"If the result generates interest, Decision Tree has different investment models to select from depending on how hands-on the landowner wishes to be in their farm forestry project."
Ms Perdon said this was just the first phase of Decision Tree, with further development and program expansion planned for the next 12 months, including turning the assessment tool into a web-based application.
The phase two expansion will utilise funding of $500,000 from an agreement between the Commonwealth and WA Government.
Examining and overcoming barriers to private forestry was a key activity for the SWHT, with that work being fundamental in the creation of Decision Tree.
Input and resources from Wespine and the Forest Products Commission have also been critical to the creation.
"Integrating commercial tree planting on farms will be vital for farmers looking to reduce their carbon footprint while still generating profits," Ms Perdon said.
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