Given the emphasis on climate change in this month’s edition, it’s only fitting that I highlight a recent achievement by Forests NSW: a public trading enterprise within the department.

Forests NSW was recently selected as a finalist in the climate category of the prestigious Banksia Foundation Environmental Awards.

The Banksia Environmental Foundation is a national notfor-profit organisation and its awards are regarded as one of the most prestigious in Australia.

Established in 1989, the awards are designed to help raise the profile of environmental issues and recognise outstanding contributions by individuals and organisations towards ensuring a sustainable future.

Forests NSW was named a finalist in the 2006 awards for its work in developing the world’s first dependable system for measuring and accounting for carbon stored in trees.

This has led to the creation of Australian and international carbon accounting standards.

Forests NSW will continue to play a key role in the emergence of emissions trading schemes that deliver economic incentives for reforestation projects and its work will help attract investment from the private sector, for the planting of trees in NSW, both for their carbon and timber values.

Since 2001 approximately 10 000 hectares of new plantations valued at $30 million have been established in NSW.

Once mature, they will have sequestered more than one million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

This will deliver many environmental benefits, including salinity mitigation, land repair and biodiversity enhancement, as well as helping offset greenhouse gas emissions.

As a public trading enterprise within the Department of Primary Industries, Forests NSW will continue to be part of a broader body of work by our primary production sectors, to help offset and reduce carbon emissions.

For instance, feed efficiency research being carried out by the DPI is designed to help limit methane emissions in our cattle industries.

The Department and the Iemma Government also support our coal industry in the development and adoption of clean coal technologies such as coal pulverisation, high temperature incineration, and gasification.

This edition of Agriculture Today also raises the notion that trading schemes could potentially include a greater role for our farming community - in that they could be eligible for credits from actions that help offset carbon emissions, such as tree planting and greater use of perennial pastures.

Unfortunately, the Federal Government to date has not adopted recommendations for a national trading scheme.

It also continues to ignore the benefits of the Kyoto protocol.

Not only does this put our environment at risk, but it also limits the level of international and domestic investment NSW can capture from companies looking to take advantage of the schemes and policies we have in place.

Unlike the Federal Government, NSW is getting on with the job of supporting profitable and sustainable industries - as the initiatives featured on these pages abundantly prove.