Grow West, the local land rehabilitation program centred around Bacchus Marsh, this week announced it will benefit from a new Australian Government grant that will assist with farm forestry plantations.
Grow West Program Co-ordinator John Forrester has welcomed a National Landcare Program grant of $200,000 for Landcare – Working for Wood in the West, designed to further develop farm forestry to reverse extensive land degradation in the area.
The Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority’s Grow West project is recognised as one of the most extensive land restoration initiatives ever undertaken in Victoria, focusing on 50,000 hectares 60 km west of Melbourne between Bacchus Marsh and Ballan.
“Grow West welcomes this funding announced by the Federal Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran and launched locally by Senator Julian McGauran, as it assists us to build on our existing farm forestry projects now totaling 400 hectares,” Mr Forrester said.
“This will allow us to employ a person with forestry and natural resources training to advise farmers who have plantations to deal with issues such as weeds, pruning misshapen trees and to establish new plantations.”
“Credit should go to our Farm Forestry Support Network members who helped to develop the project and secure the funding,” Mr Forrester said.
“Landcare groups in the area are keen to support Grow West in its vision for sustainable landscape management, and farm forestry is seen as one possible viable enterprise to carry out on their land.”
Mr Forrester said farm forestry has an important environmental benefit to the landscape in weed control and halting erosion, but is also an appealing and practical economic tool for farmers providing saleable timber for furniture making and firewood.
He says Grow West has achieved much in five years in revegetation and the war on serrated tussock and other weeds in the long-term bid to improve the local landscapes, farming practices and water catchments.
Grow West has support from a number of organisations and is focused on attracting funds from public and private sector investors to continue its work for many years to come.
Mr Forrester believes there are exciting possibilities for partnerships in the future, including carbon trading. Grow West has the potential to enable significant tree planting opportunities for companies looking to offset carbon emissions. |