The Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority is collaborating with a regional council to encourage retention of the area’s old paddock trees.
The GB CMA has teamed up with the Greater Shepparton City Council, to arrest what they believe is an alarming decline in the number of paddock trees across the Goulburn Murray region.
GB CMA Municipal Catchment Coordinator Rebecca Caldwell said a forum, set down for March, would allow key players to come together and discuss the issue.
“New landholders and industries are coming into the region and we need to constantly communicate with farmers about the value of native vegetation on their properties,” Ms Caldwell said.
“By working together we can protect and enhance native vegetation in the landscape.”
The campaign also includes declaring 2019 the official Year of The Paddock Tree.
Greater Shepparton chief executive Peter Harriott said the Goulburn Valley had lost more than 97 per cent of native vegetation, in the region before European settlement.
“It’s now up to us to protect what’s left,” Mr Harriott said.
He said it was essential to consult with farmers during the initial planning phases of farm upgrades or changes.
“The region’s land use is rapidly changing. The earlier we can have the conversation with landowners the more chance we have of protecting native vegetation.”
Organic dairy farmer Roisin Powell said it made commercial sense to retain the paddock trees on her family’s Undera farm.
The trees provided crucial shade for her herd, especially in searing heat conditions like the region has seen in recent weeks.
“Having shade scattered through the farm is critical because the cows can continue to move and graze,” Ms Powell said.
“If there’s not enough trees they will find shade wherever they can and camp there all day, which ultimately leads to a loss in production.”