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A Forest in the Back Paddock‘Woodstock’ is a veal & tree farming property near Traralgon which is divided between the Crawford brothers and their wives: Colin and Heather, Graeme and Elaine, Don and Sue. Trees were first planted by the brothers’ father, Ken Crawford, in 1967. Ken was one of the first farmers in Gippsland to plant trees as a commercial crop. ‘Woodstock’ was also one of the earliest farms to experiment with agroforestry: planting trees in widely spaced rows to allow grazing and cropping between the trees until they are mature. Approximately one third of the property is now planted with timber.Timber plantations on ‘Woodstock’ have a beneficial effect on both the environment and economy of the farm. Forestry is now an integral part of both. The major commercial tree crops are pines and blue gums harvested for pulp and sawlogs. A small amount of bat willow is grown by Colin Crawford. When mature, the willow will be crafted into cricket bats by Lachlan Fisher of Footscray, Victoria. The Crawfords have planted a variety of native trees for stock shelter, for use on the farm and to encourage native birds and animals. Colin’s and Graeme’s expertise in tree growing won them the Victorian Tree Farmer Award in 1991 and the National Tree Farmer award in 1992.
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