Increasing trees on farms through natural capital accounting

Increasing tree planting on farms can provide a range of benefits. However, there are many barriers to increasing plantings on farms. To answer the research question of how natural capital accounting might be used to support farmers to increase trees on their farms, we spoke to 22 decision makers and stakeholders who are working to increase tree planting in different sectors. We also worked with farmers to plant over 200 ha of trees. The interview results show how tree planting programs can be supported to achieve longer-term, on-farm and social outcomes. The practical results highlight the importance of tailoring different strategies to different objectives. We find that natural capital accounting is a potential way to create partnerships across government and non-governmental organisations beyond the farm gate and to align individual and national scale objectives. Increasing trees on farms is not just about farmers, all of society has a role to play. We also note the need to raise public awareness of the different flow-on benefits of increasing natural capital on farms.