For every tree consumed by the making of paper products purchased through Officeworks, two will be planted in the Tasmanian Midlands.
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A partnership between farmers, Greening Australia, and Officeworks seeks to restore some of Australia’s natural habitat, off-setting the production of paper products with the planting of new trees in some of Australia’s most ecologically-damaged regions.
The launch of the national project, Restoring Australia, focused on the future impacts in the Tasmanian Midlands, where more than 85 per cent of natural habitat has been overtaken by farming and development.
Restoring Australia is already planting wide swathes of trees to create natural corridors for native wildlife to traverse the paddocks across farms in the region.
Officeworks managing director Mark Ward said the initiative came about as the company sought to have a more visible and long-term impact on giving back to the environment.
The company is committing to planting more than 100,000 seedlings in the Midlands, the NSW Highlands and Victoria’s Volcanic Plains in the second half of this year to begin the program.
“Our philosophy very much is that Officeworks operates across Australia, that our team lives there, work there, and they raise their family there,” he said.
“We think it’s incumbent on us to contribute to contribute to all of those local communities in some way, shape or form … because we think we should.”
Midlands farmer Julian von Bibra said studies had shown farms can set aside nearly 15 per cent of landmass and still get increased production on the remaining property.
“We’re linking up biodiversity, and that’s important, but we’re also creating shelter,” he said.
“We’re very exposed to winds here … by putting in corridors and shelter belts we can soften the negative effects of that wind, it’s shelter for lambing, less impact on a ripening crop.”
Greening Australia president Gordon Davis said the project was also about developing sustainable communities and managing the long-term future of agriculture with diverse projects crossing sectors.
“This happens through people, through people being employed through contractors – so it brings economic activity also,” he said.
The tree belts being planted will be monitored by scientists long-term to track wildlife activity and restoration in the region.
“It’s recognising that as land managers we’ve got a bigger role than just having productive farms, we’ve got to think about the broader landscape, the catchment and the biodiversity that exists in these farms,” Mr Von Bibra said.