The term marginal and how we relate it to land can mean a variety of different things. To you, it could mean your expanding salt-affected land, or some less productive sand hills, waterlogged flats, or your frost-prone valleys. With tighter margins and soaring land prices, every farmer needs each hectare to contribute to their bottom line in one way or another.

Enter carbon plantings.

Just like traditional Landcare plantings, tree planting for carbon isn’t about locking up your best paddocks; it’s about making the most out of the worst.  When a project is planned, executed and managed well, those areas suddenly look a lot more attractive when they can generate passive income, contribute to your business’s climate resilience and most importantly, improve the bottom line.

As of May 31, 2025, there are 80 carbon planting projects across Western Australia registered under the Reforestation by environmental or mallee plantings FullCAM method 2014 (expired) and 2024 method, with over 1.17 million Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) issued.

But it’s not a one-size-fits-all game. Project design, species choice, and long-term maintenance need to be matched to your landscape and business goals. Also, once trees are in the ground, to remain eligible as a carbon planting, they’re there to stay, well, at least for 25 years… That’s why careful planning and solid advice are key.

So, to tree or not to tree?

We all know the benefits of trees on-farm, in the right places. If you’ve got land that’s more burden than benefit, maybe it’s time to consider your options.

Not every hectare has to grow grain or grass to grow value.

Some key questions to ask yourself:

• Is land rehabilitation or ACCU production your main goal?
• Are you chasing an income stream from ACCU trading, or
• Is reducing farm emissions your main game?
• Are you keen to tap into emerging markets like natural capital or nature repair?
• What is the opportunity cost of doing nothing?

Your answers to these questions will shape what you plant, where you plant, or if you should even plant at all.