Falvey Forest

The intensive revegetated degraded site located at the southern extreme of the Murray Darling catchment is a stark contrast to its unimproved farmlands of 1997. Its steep, mainly Silurian mudstone soils, have limited agricultural potential and are considered to be highly erodible.

In addition to old growth forests, such replanted forests, farm forestry and agroforestry form the context of environmental enhancement, amenity, biodiversity, wildlife corridors and catchment management. The site has been reforested with Blue Gums on the undulating land and a range of native species on the steep lands as advised by University of Melbourne forestry experts, including pockets of Pinus radiata after native species had died.

Wildlife has returned to the site as it emerges as a forest ecosystem providing diverse benefits. Established ahead of carbon farming or biodiversity incentives the private forest is expected to be a long-term environmental resource that might one day link a wildlife corridor to the Mt Piper Nature Conservation Reserve, thereby compensating for the rapid urbanisation of the region.

Linked pages provide further information on the site, context of the reforestation, species planted, the benefits to which it contributes and the role of carbon in forests.