Bees
Bee Friendly grants to plant 100,000 trees for bees

FARMERS across the country are being supported to join the pledge to plant 100,000 trees for bees, with a popular tree grants program now open.

Bee Friendly Farming (BFF) grants of up to $10,000 are available to farmers and land managers to plant pollinator-friendly trees indigenous to their farms.

BFF, together with grant partners One Tree Planted and Flow Hive, will provide $1 for every tree planted.

Administered by Wheen Bee Foundation, the tree grants will support pollinators and benefit farmers, according to CEO Fiona Chambers.

“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.”

BFF celebrated its first anniversary in Australia this month, with more than 30,000 hectares of farmland across the country now BFF certified.

In 2021, 17 agriculture businesses in four states received grants totalling $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.”

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

Apply for tree grants by visiting the Bee Friendly Farming website.

Visit the website to apply to become BFF certified.

Applications must be received before 5pm on Sunday, July 31 2022.

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