Funds for Farm Forestry $450,000 grant now open

Private Forests Tasmania is leading a $450,000 co-investment grant program to support farmers to plant and grow commercial trees on their private properties in Tasmania.

The Stems for CO2 2024 Grant Program is supported by the State Government's Renewables, Climate and Future Industries Tasmania. It will support successful applicants with upfront establishment costs to enable them to integrate trees into their agricultural enterprise.

The program supports the implementation of commercial tree plantings in the agricultural landscape for modelling carbon abatement levels, improved farm productivity, water quality, biodiversity, reducing soil erosion, creating a future wood resource, and communicating and educating the Tasmanian community on the benefit of trees on farms.

PFT Chief Executive Officer Dr Elizabeth Pietrzykowski encourages landowners not to miss out on this opportunity to be supported in joining or advancing their farm forestry opportunities.

"The program has been developed to assist farmers with up front establishment costs to successfully integrate trees into their agricultural enterprise," she said.

"Key objectives are to establish commercial tree plantings into the agricultural landscape and to conduct carbon modelling on the successful grant recipient planting.

"The modelling will identify the expected carbon abatement of the plantings and there planned length of rotation.

"We will also communicate the carbon benefits of commercial trees to farmers, producers and landowners.”

"PFT has a $450,000 funding pool to allocate with the maximum amount a grant recipient can receive is $2,500 per hectare."

An assessment panel comprising of representatives with forestry and agricultural expertise will competitively assess each application against the program objectives and assessment criteria.

Expressions of interest are now open and close at 5pm on March 1, 2024.

Interested landowners can call Private Forests Tasmania's Helpline on 1300 661 009 or email admin@pft.tas.gov.au

Apply and view the full program guidelines here - Stems for CO2 - funds for farm forestry (pft.tas.gov.au)