Cattle farmer plants 14,000 trees to help slow flood water

Jeff Imeson, a retired NSW Police officer and fourth-generation cattle farmer, has undertaken a significant environmental project on his 107-hectare property near Nimbin. He has planted approximately 14,000 trees, aiming to "re-wild" his land while maintaining its productivity. Imeson hopes the trees will eventually create a canopy to block the sun, suppress weeds, and improve the local environment.

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There's not a lot of trees out here and we always started out with the idea that we wanted to re-wild it, make it a productive farm but put some native plants back on it.

This initiative is part of a broader government-funded effort in the Northern Rivers region focusing on nature-based solutions for flood mitigation. Imeson's property, with 2.5 kilometers of river frontage, was a prime candidate for this approach. He received $200,000 to plant trees, with the goal of restoring native vegetation to areas where it had been removed.

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But it'll take about seven to 10 years until we can get that canopy to block out that sun, stop the weeds growing and change the environment for the better.

Across the Northern Rivers, 35 properties are participating in the "Caring for Catchments" scheme, which has already seen over 84,000 native trees and grasses planted along 40 kilometers of riverbank. NSW Minister for Recovery Janelle Saffin highlighted that these nature-based solutions complement other flood mitigation structures. She clarified that while they won't stop major floods like the 2022 event, they can help the region adapt by holding and slowing water higher in the catchment, thereby reducing downstream damage.

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We wanted to put trees back to where they probably shouldn't have been taken in the first place.