Reversing scattered tree decline on farms: implications of landholder perceptions and practice in the Lachlan catchment, New South Wales

Abstract

Scattered trees are declining rapidly on Australian farms, a process that threatens landscape sustainability. Addressing this decline requires, in part, understanding how landholders perceive and manage scattered trees. We explored this via a quantitative survey of landholders in the Lachlan catchment of New South Wales. Although landholders are typically aware that scattered trees are declining more rapidly than other trees on the land they manage, they are less likely to actively encourage their regeneration compared to other trees. Landholders believe scattered trees have many private and public benefits, although they often believe their public benefits are lower than those provided by long strips or large patches of trees. Landholders who undertake mixed grazing and cropping are less likely than those who focus solely on grazing to actively encourage regeneration of scattered trees, and more likely to view them as impacting negatively on their agricultural enterprise. Reversing scattered tree decline requires programs to both increase landholder awareness of their public benefits and to address the specific land management constraints faced by different types of landholders when considering protecting and regenerating scattered trees.

Keywords:

• paddock trees
• trees in long strips
• trees in clumps/patches
• landholder behaviour

Acknowledgements

The research reported in this article was funded by the Australian Government Department of Environment, Heritage, Water and the Arts Commonwealth Environmental Research Facilities (CERF) program. We thank the Bureau of Rural Sciences, who administered the survey of landholders; and the Lachlan Catchment Management Authority, who funded the survey. We gratefully acknowledge the many landholders who contributed their time to complete the survey.