Projects are successful because of good planning. Projects that involve establishing native vegetation are no exception. Do you have a whole farm plan? When working out what goes where on your property a whole farm plan is invaluable. Landcare sometimes runs whole farm planning courses (Farmplan 21) however you can do a farm plan on your own using online resources and map layers in Google Earth. Use your farm plan to plan where you want tree breaks and areas of protected vegetation. Set priorities for the order of the works.

Here is a handy land management template from Bass Coast Shire council. Whilst not a farm plan per se this template can be useful as a planning tool. This tool works through process of land use planning in which natural properties (and hazards of use) of a farm are assessed. The farm enterprises and management are then designed to match the land’s potential and limitations.

Here are links to the Bass Coast  Planning guide (PDF 291kb) and a Land Management Plan Template (PDF 196kb).

The template includes:

• Summary of land management issues – erosion, salinity, pest plants and animals, wet areas, soil types, remnant vegetation, water courses
• Description of how the land management issues will be addressed
• Revegetation and Remnant Protection Projects
• Revegetation Species List - but see the more specific to Nerrena Tarwin Valley in the next topic
• Weed Control
• Pest Animal Control
• Erosion Amelioration Measures
• Salinity Amelioration Measures
• Acid Soil Amelioration Measures
• Water – Fencing off or protecting all water resources
• Property Management Planning – Proposed Farm Improvements