Costs of establishing native trees for farm
forestry are highly variable in the Southern Tablelands. For instance,
site conditions will determine the planting rate, which will depend
on rainfall and soil conditions. Also the amount of labour landholders
can contribute to projects will affect establishment costs. Thus,
it is imperative to understand the costs prior to preparing the
site for plantation.
In some areas costs can be minimised as individual
sites are assessed for their plantation establishment potential.
Some sites may for instance, be suitable for tree establishment
under a financial incentive program and be potentially eligible
for support. Multiple benefit plantation owners could effectively
have an advantage when seeking support. It seems evident that future
funding sources will be favouring those applications that engage
a number of issues. These issues include natural resource management
and biodiversity conservation, whilst also potentially the forests
intended commercial reality.
The following table details the typical costs
incurred on a farm forest in NSW for establishing native plantations
at a planting rate of 1,000 seedlings per hectare.
|
Objective |
Activity
|
Costs
(allow
for considerable variation) |
|
Site
preparation |
Graze,
slash or apply herbicide to clear site of weedy growth. |
Grazing
being by far the most cost effective.
Herbicide;
6L Ha knockdown @ $10/L = $60/Ha, plus labour.
Slashing;
only practical if on-farm machinery already exists. |
|
|
Rip
and mound with DIPNR contract dozer. |
$180-$220
per Ha = floatage. Alternative cheaper options for site preparation
equipment hire may be also locally available, especially through
local Landcare group connections. |
|
Fencing
|
Stock
proofing or protection from other herbivores. |
Permanent
standard type fencing material typically costs between $2,000-$3,000
per km, suitable for stock proofing. Electric fencing can
be considerably cheaper. |
|
Planting
|
Seedling
purchase |
Price
variation from about 50c each if ordered in 1,000s in ‘hiko’
trays to more than $1.00 each for seedlings in forestry tubes. |
|
|
Hand
planting |
Various
hand planting tools are available including tree planting
shovels, Pottiputki planters and Hamilton tree planters. |
|
|
Machine
planting |
Specialised
machine planters that attach to three-point linkages can often
be locally available through Landcare connections. |
|
|
Contract
planters |
Private
forestry contractors can be hired to conduct the planting.
Contract rates can be anything from 30-60 cents per tree,
depending on the site conditions. |
|
Fertiliser
application |
Purchase
and application |
Slow
release fertiliser applied @; 150g/tree = $75/Ha (depending
on type of fertiliser). |
|
On-going
weed control |
First
year herbicide application |
Knapsack
knockdown application may use less chemical, but is very time
consuming. Machine shield spraying may be more realistic for
large areas. |
|
|
Second
year herbicide application |
It
should be anticipated that the cost of spraying will decline
each time it is conducted, as infestations become increasingly
suppressed. |
|
Form
pruning |
Stem
selection and form correction |
Other
than the cost of a good pair of secateurs, form pruning can
be conducted at more convenient times. |
|
Total
estimated early plantation establishment costs: |
From
$1,500 to $3,000 per Ha.
(ultimately
depends on the level of infrastructure easily available to
individual landholders and to the amount that they value and
prioritise their own time) |
