Mr Kilby will talk about his work with growing forests in Australia and the state of global agroforestry. 

Agroforestry is a way of helping farmers grow trees and shrubs, both native and non-native. 

Rahamim Ecological Learning Community sustainability manager John Fry said there is massive potential for establishing new agroforests on land in the Bathurst region. 

“Our region should have reasonable rainfall into the future, though it may come at different times of the year,” he said.

“The most important issue will be our ability to better understand the changing patterns and traditional functions in our landscapes and design projects for sustainability, not short-term green, feel good, reactive programs.”

Mr Fry said people will have an opportunity to learn more about agroforestry and how to become involved during Rahamim’s Green Drinks tomorrow at 5.30pm. 

He said farms can become more profitable while providing a wide range of natural functions such as wildlife habitat, air and climate stabilisation, water management, stock shelter and biodiversity. It is possible to change land use from grasslands to forest and maintain farm productivity. 

“Properly designed and managed forests can provide a long-term investment for building and fuel timber, oils, flowers, food, carbon sinks and stock food for many generations of farmers,” he said. “Existing forests are vital to our survival and currently cover one-third of the earth’s surface. Most of the world’s fresh water supply comes through forests. 

“Globally, we are destroying 13 million hectares of forest each year, which contributes up to 20 per cent of global carbon emissions.”

He said while Australia has the sixth largest forest area in the world, the Australian Conservation Foundation says the present rate of forest and woody scrub clearing in Australia may be contributing 50 per cent of our emissions. 

“Most of the clearing in Australia has been during the past 50 years,” Mr Fry said. 

“Although we have lost 40 per cent of Australia’s forests, changes to government policies are now being discussed to allow more clearing or logging even in the 16 per cent of Australia’s forests that are protected in reserves.” 

“In Australia the Productivity Commission says that since 1788 we have removed ninety percent of our native vegetation in the eastern temperate zone. 

“A loss of fifty percent of our rainforests has caused the highest losses of native species in the world, including five million birds each year.”

Mr Fry said the good news is that new forestry plantations are increasing. One million hectares of new forests have been planted in Australia since 1990, although during the last few years, the rate has declined since the Global Financial Crisis. 

After 1996 the Green Corps program planted over fourteen million trees throughout Australia, and the federal government is now committed to planting twenty million trees over the next few years and has allocated three billion dollars for Direct Action projects including the new Green Army, which will be the biggest recruitment of young Australian environment workers in our history. 

“Drought, rainfall and weather patterns are rapidly changing due to climate change. However, according to the CSIRO, our region is in a strong position to support new tree planting projects,” Mr Fry said.

“There will be winners and losers in the new climate modelling.”