Introduction
This page has been developed to provide information on Agroforestry in Central Queensland. Major topics discussed include; what is Agroforestry, plantation establishment, problems, and markets. Also included is a Links page containing relevant sites where additional information can be obtained.
In July 1996 the Commonwealth Ministerial Council on Forestry, Fisheries and Aquaculture endorsed the plantation industry's target of trebling the plantation estate by 2020. To achieve this goal, the Council agreed to develop a realistic and achievable national strategy. The resulting document called Plantations for Australia: The 2020 Vision focuses on accelerating plantation development in Australia. It has identified the availability of land as a major obstacle to realizing the Vision.
Here agroforestry has a major role to play as it has the ability to combine existing agricultural land uses with plantation development thus increase the land available for plantations. Agroforestry also has an role in rehabilitation of degraded lands and improving environment amenity.
Agroforestry is a relatively new and untested concept in Australian agricultural operations. This combined with the long cycles for timber production indicates it may be a challenging enterprise to undertake. Much of the uncertainty and unknowns associated with Agroforestry may be overcome by the acquisition of good information and development of effective management plans and practices. This CD-ROM is designed to provide starter information for potential Agroforestry operators and directs interested parties to websites where more detailed information is available.