Canna

The Canna Carbon Project was an opportunity for us to explore whether a DIY carbon farming approach would be successful in a practical farm setting, specifically in a low-rainfall area. The project has provided us with key learnings that we can pass on to other landholders looking to start their carbon farming journey:

1. Have your ducks in a row to potentially plant early

Canna’s typical key planting window is June-August. However, in 2021, direct seeding needed to be brought forward to May due to wet weather. Planting early meant that there was a higher chance of germination and tree survival.

We learnt that it’s best practice to have your seeds and seedlings, as well as any necessary third-party contractors, lined up as early as possible. By being organised you can be more flexible with planting windows, increasing the chances of your trees surviving.

2. Make sure pest control is on your radar early

Rabbits & kangaroos eating our seedlings posed an issue for the tree survival. We learnt that it’s crucial to get on top of pest control early to mitigate it as a risk to your carbon project.

Measures you can take to help mitigate risks associated with pests include:

• Organise contractors who specialise in local pest management and control.
• Reach out to your local Landcare for NRM for any pest control tips. They can sometimes have available pathways to subsidise costs through specific pest control programs.

3. Make sure your planting design enhances survival whilst also being compliant with your registered methodology

There are always two key considerations during the project design stage. These are:

• Your planting design is best suited to enhancing tree survival.
• Your planting design is compliant with specific methodology requirements.

To better understand these considerations, we tested different planting designs and species mixes across the Treelies property. We found we had to be strategic about where we integrated belt vs. block planting configurations into the planting design, keeping in mind what would grow best in certain areas whilst also being compliant with methodology requirements.

Some tips we learnt that enhanced tree survival:

• Making sure the trees have understory and overstory.
• Making sure the design mirrors the layers of remnant vegetation.
• Considering a species mix with drought-tolerant qualities to give optimal chances of survival over the 100-year permanence period.
• 100 years is a long time, so planting native species that easily regenerate will reduce the need for infill planting and will help to maintain forest cover.
• Include pioneer species such as Acacias in your mix, as these will quickly establish and create an environment conducive to succession from slower growers.

4. Be flexible with your weed management strategy & use of fertilisers

We learnt there is no one fits all approach for weed management and fertiliser use. For example, some weed management techniques and fertilisers had better results on different farms and had varying results year-on-year due to weather.

We found it’s better to be flexible regarding your fertiliser and weed management strategies as success can be dependent on specific seasons and landscapes.

5. Keeping your livestock separate from your tree planting areas

If you’re looking to undertake a tree carbon project as part of your existing livestock operation, make sure you have fenced off your planting areas so your livestock can’t get in (especially in the early establishment years). This is relevant if you’re looking at planting windbreaks and shelterbelts as part of your planting design.

We suggest always swinging past your planting areas as part of your routine farm check. That way if fencing gets damaged you can act quickly to mitigate the risk of livestock getting into the young plantings.