What is Open Woodland Restoration?
Open Woodland Restoration is a way of reintroducing trees, shrubs, and native groundcover into grazing country without turning your farm into a dense plantation. It maintains and enhances your productive landscape.
The Revegetation Spectrum
Canopy cover
Tractor access
Pasture yield
Carbon yield
Biodiversity value
Cleared Grazing Land
<5%
Full
High (but exposed)
None
Low
Open Woodland Restoration
20% - 30%
Maintained (15m gaps)
Sustained (protected)
Medium - High
Restores critical habitat
Traditional Dense Plantation
>70%
Restricted / None
Minimal (shaded out)
High
Moderate (monoculture risk)
Designed for function: The Open & Clumpy Blueprint
Productivity
Enhance your carrying capacity.
The multi-layered canopy provides vital shade and shelter, moderating temperatures and building more resilient pastures over time.
Biodiversity
Restore the critically endangered Box-Gum Grassy Woodland. Create vital habitat for Australia's iconic flora and fauna, including koalas and quolls, from the canopy down to the soil.
Future income
Earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). Establish native specifies to capture atmospheric carbon dioxide, creating a long-term, verifiable revenue stream.
The three key reasons farmers adopt the strategy
Farmer-led from inception
Like any great story, this one starts on the land. Geoff Kay - a farmer and Woodland ecologist - pioneered the 'open and clumpy' design on his farm 'Waminda'. It has since been adopted and refined by leading farmers across the Southern Tablelands of NSW.
Open Woodland Restoration is a strategy developed by farmers, for other farmers to follow.
The Southern Tablelands Agricultural Restoration group in 2024
The 5-step Journey to Open Woodland Restoration
The phased process for restoring farm landscapes to gain carbon credits, biodiversity and productivity.
How to get started
Get a Snapshot for your farm
What we ask:
Your farm boundary and a couple of questions about your priorities.
What you get:
A tailored Snapshot report and a clear starting point for decision making.
Your data is safe.
You receive a private, individual report
Identifiable property data is never shared without your specific permission
Submitting your boundary does not commit you to a project
De-identified, aggregated data helps us improve the program and understand regional barriers and opportunities