The Allan Labor government is encouraging Victorian farmers and landowners to take advantage of a new program to plant more trees on their farms – helping to boost timber supply, increase biodiversity, and prevent soil erosion. Minister for agriculture Ros Spence announced on Thursday 31 July the Victorian Trees on Farms Program at Parliament House, alongside industry members at the Victorian Forest Products Association’s Timber Plantations showcase. The new program is offering grants of up to $80,000 for landholders to plant trees on their property – providing long term solutions including boosting shade and shelter for livestock, improving stock and crop production, offsetting carbon emissions, or generating income through carbon credits. “Victoria’s tree plantations are an essential resource," Ms Spence said. "And not only for our state’s biodiversity, but to support our housing pipeline, create regional jobs, and produce paper and packaging products to replace single use plastics. “We’re supporting Victorian farmers and landholders to reap the benefits of planting trees on their farms, including improving grazing outcomes and offsetting carbon emissions.” Landholders will also be able to generate additional income through timber production, including from harvested wood products or use the timber for on-farm uses such as firewood and fence posts. An additional grants program – the Trees on Farms Incubator Program – is offering planting service providers and forestry professionals up to $50,000 to support landowners who might be contemplating planting trees on their property. This service will help landowners develop tailored, implementation-ready project plans to align with their property and planting goals, while providing education, training, and upskilling for tree planting and management activities. The government has already delivered $190 million for plantation developments such as the Victorian Carbon Farming Program. These programs are delivering major benefits for Victoria’s biodiversity – a program in Gippsland alone will have seen more than 3.5 million trees by the end of the 2025 winter planting season, with the aim to plant approximately 16 million trees over the life of the program. For more information on the programs, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/trees-on-farms
