Forest Farm is celebrating its second anniversary of registering its Environmental Account with Accounting for Nature.
Forest Farm’s environmental account covers 105 hectares and provides a method for us to monitor the condition and trends of environmental assets over time with scientifically robust methods. Forest Farm is using the Koala Population and Habitat Condition Method (Method) which was co-developed by GreenCollar in collaboration with Queensland Trust for Nature and World Wildlife Fund and accredited by Accounting for Nature Ltd in December 2021.
In August and September 2025, the Forest Farm family undertook our second round of survey in accordance with the Method. Here we’ll try to explain how the survey was conducted and what sort of data we collect. What we will be entirely unable to communicate is the amount of hiking, traipsing, bush-whacking, and hitting heads on branches that takes place while surveying, you’ll have to use your imagination.
Forest Farm is split into four assessment units that represent different land use and condition categories, and number of samples sites for each assessment unit is defined by the Method:
- remnant/regrowth forest (5 sample sites);
- hoop pine plantation areas (3 sample sites);
- plantation eucalypt areas (5 sample sites); and
- cleared areas (3 sample sites).
So here’s how we survey:
1. First, we spend 2 minutes searching for koala scat within a 1m radius of the centre tree for the sample site. If we find scat it is evidence of koala presence and is great news! But the rapid SAT method means that we then search the next closest six trees for two minutes each. If we find more scat, again that is great news, but it means that we then need to search a further 23 trees within the 50m x 50m plot. This is a koala scat presence or absence search using the rapid Spot Assessment Technique (Phillips and Callaghan, 2011; Phillips and Wallis, 2016; Phillips et al., 2021).
2. Next, we stand up straight again and train our eyes to the trees within the sample site and record:
a. the number of useable trees present,
b. the average height of trees, and
c. recruitment of koala species trees;
This is used to indicate the koala habitat quality.
3. Finally, we search for the presence of threats to koalas, specifically:
a. the height and prevalence of non-native weeds;
b. any evidence of the presence of pests; and
c. proximity or urban areas, and proximity to roads.
As we progress the data is recorded in a custom built google form that simplifies the data collection and ensures that the data is high quality with all field data collected consistently and reliably at each sample site.
It can take 30 minutes to hike, walk, and fall between sample sites, and often we’ll manage to do 3 or maybe 4 in a morning or an afternoon, grouping the sites that are somewhat close together.
It’s hard work, and some members of the team are adding hard-hats to our survey PPE. But it is also a really great excuse to stride through the property and observe the impact of our planting, weeding, and preservation efforts, and inevitably add another 15 things to the mental maintenance to-do list.
Separately, the context, extent, and connectivity of the assessment unit is assessed through spatial data processing of detailed satellite images and included in the koala habitat condition survey. This GIS processing is supported by observations during the field survey as well.
We will undertake this survey process annually to track the effectiveness of the restoration works at Forest Farm. We will soon have our 2025 survey certified by Accounting for Nature and we will then share the results, keep an eye out!
Thank you for reading, and we hope this gives you a greater understanding of our dedication to creating a place for nature to thrive.