Forest Farm Natural Capital.
Fast facts.
Account ID: AU00063
Registration date: 22 January 2024
Location: Far North Coast, NSW
Area: 105 ha
Assets: Koala
Method: AfN-METHOD-NF-04
Environmental Account Summary: In development
Information Statement: In development
Forest Farm is currently in the process of developing an Environmental Account to submit to AfN for certification.
About the account.
The Forest Farm Natural Capital Project is located on Nyangbul land of the Bundjalung Nation at Tintenbar, in the Ballina Shire Council region of Northern NSW.
The Environmental Account comprises 105ha of diverse vegetated communities, including an existing forestry plantation being strategically transitioned to a permanent planting, recovering forested wetlands, mature regrowth and regenerating rainforest.
Koalas are increasingly attracted to the remnant plantation; the two eucalypt species Flooded Gum and Blackbutt, are secondary food and habitat trees. As the forestry plantation is transitioned to a permanent planting, primary food and habitat trees are strategically added over time, with the goal to provide a high-quality sanctuary for endangered koalas.
As well as the plantation, this diverse property contains a number of important vegetation communities, including wetlands, remnant sub-tropical rainforests and riparian zones.
The Environmental Account leverages the Accounting for Nature® Framework to provide regular, standardised, scientifically based and reliable information on the condition and trends of the Environmental Assets over time. This enables the tracking and verification of the environmental benefits associated with the management activities implemented under the ERF Forest Farm Carbon Project and more generally.
Account location.
About Forest Farm.
Family owned and operated, Forest Farm was originally acquired as a 110ha grazing property in 2016, with a harvestable forestry plantation consisting of stands of Flooded Gum, Blackbutt and Hoop Pine.
The property also contains a number of diverse, remnant ecosystems including riparian zones, forested wetlands and lowland subtropical rainforest. These ecosystems are being improved by the strategic removal of cattle from riparian and wetland zones, weed control, planting and assisted regeneration.
Moving forward, the owners aim to enhance and showcase Forest Farm’s existing natural beauty and to create a high-quality natural environment that offers a haven for diverse native flora and fauna; enabled through successfully restored and resilient vegetation ecosystems.
In the short term, this involves retaining forestry plantations as existing wildlife habitat (and koala food species), whilst strategically enhancing the ecological condition of the land through developing understory and replacement over time, to transition to functional and resilient vegetation ecosystems. To support this transition, the timber plantation has been registered as an eligible carbon offsets project under the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF).
