They’re survivors from the era that came before paddocks for livestock and crops, a reminder of time immemorial.

Down at my local butcher, there’s a giant painting on the wall of paddock trees, sheep and men on horseback. Paddock trees give rolling agricultural land that quintessentially Australian feel.

But not everyone loves a paddock tree; some see paddock trees as an impediment to efficient farming.

Some farmers say that each tree on their property costs between $300 and $1200 per year in lost revenue. So, if a farmer cleared 100 paddock trees, he or she could increase farm revenue by up to $120,000 per year – every year.

This is the thinking that drove the NSW government’s relaxation of land clearing laws. These laws effectively gave the “green light” to property clearers who are now quietly ravaging the landscape across the state, but this is a short sighted approach to land management.

Scientists such as Dr Joern Fischer from the Australian National University point out that paddock trees are “keystone structures”, with benefits for native wildlife such as birds and bats that vastly outperform the relatively small amount of space they take.

At the same time, scientific studies show that for farmers, paddock trees are important in soil conservation, have a positive influence on carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous levels in the soil and provide shade for livestock.

The Stand Up for Nature campaign (www.standupfornature.org.au/) gives more information and links to a petition to the state government to reinstate stronger protections for bush on private property.

If you’re part of an organisation thinking about planting trees, you can order stock from Central Tablelands Landcare. Their Bathurst nursery at the old Agricultural Research Station site grows a range of tree, shrub and groundcover species from our endangered box gum woodlands (email centraltablelandslandcare@gmail.com).