Grants of up to $10,000 are available to farmers and land managers to plant pollinator-friendly trees that are indigenous to their farms, with Bee Friendly Farming providing farmers and land managers with $1 for every tree planted, thanks to grant partners One Tree Planted and Flow Hive.

The program is administered by Wheen Bee Foundation, and CEO Fiona Chambers said the tree grants support pollinators while also benefitting farmers.

“Habitat loss is one of the greatest threats to bees and other pollinators,” Ms Chambers said. “Planting pollinator- friendly trees increases food for bees, provides essential habitat for them to breed and creates habitat corridors, reducing the distance they need to travel to forage.

“This, in turn, helps farmers with healthier, more prolific pollinators and enhanced crop pollination outcomes.”

The Bee Friendly Farming program works with farmers to help protect, preserve and promote the health of all pollinators. This month, Bee Friendly Farming celebrated its first anniversary in Australia. In just 12 months, more than 30,000 hectares of farmland across Australia has been certified Bee Friendly Farming.

To receive a tree grant, farms must be certified with Bee Friendly Farming. The tree grants, which start at $1,000, more than cover certification costs, making it both good for the environment and a sound business investment.

This is the second year the tree grants have been offered. Last year, 17 agriculture businesses in four states received grants totaling $48,600 to plant pollinator-friendly trees.

“This grant program was extremely successful last year funding the establishment of 80ha of pollinator habitat across four states,” Ms Chambers said. “We are pleased to continue our work with One Tree Planted and we are confident we can reach our new target of 100,000 trees, creating 100 additional hectares of pollinator-friendly habitat.”

One Tree Planted supports reforestation projects across the globe. Last year, the nonprofit planted 10 million trees. This year, the organisation is on track to support the planting of more than 20 million trees. Each project is managed in partnership with local communities for a range of objectives from forest fire recovery to wildlife habitat expansion.

One Tree Planted Asia Pacific Regional Director Beth Dalgleish said the organisation was keen to continue this world- first partnership with farmers specifically to plant trees to benefit native pollinators.

One Tree Planted is thrilled to be supporting farmers to plant trees specifically to benefit pollinators,” Ms Dalgleish said. “We are excited to follow the first plantings this year as a result of the first round of grants, and we are looking forward to seeing more farmers take part as the program expands.”

Successful applicants will receive a contribution of $1 per tree planted, with grants between $1,000 and $10,000 available. Larger grant requests will be considered. Applications must be received on or before 5pm AEST on Sunday, 31 July 2022.

To be eligible to apply for these tree grants, farms must either be a BFF CERTIFIED Farm or have a BFF CERTIFIED application submitted and pending approval by the tree grant closing date.

Apply for tree grants at www.beefriendlyfarming.org.au/tree-grants-application

Apply to become BFF certified at www.beefriendlyfarming.org.au/categories/bff-certified

For more information email info@beefriendlyfarming.org.au

One Tree Planted is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees. Their projects span the globe and are done in partnership with local communities and knowledgeable experts to create an impact for nature, people, and wildlife. Reforestation helps to rebuild forests after fires and floods, provide jobs for social impact, and restore biodiversity. Many projects have overlapping objectives, creating a combination of benefits that contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

onetreeplanted.org.

The Flow Hive was invented by father and son beekeepers Stuart and Cedar Anderson. It’s about much more than harvesting honey in an easier gentler way—it’s about creating community, educating people about the importance of pollinators and supporting beekeepers to be strong environmental stewards. Flow is committed to doing business in a regenerative, ethical and sustainable manner, generating a positive impact for pollinators and communities through its education and impact projects.

www.honeyflow.com.au

Wheen Bee Foundation is a registered Australian charity that promotes awareness of the importance of bees for food security, biodiversity and ecosystem health and funds research and development activities that address the national and global threats to bees.

www.wheenbeefoundation.org.au