Returns on the trees can be obtained in as little as 10 years, depending on site characteristics and the weather. Interim returns can be obtained if the trees are intercropped with annual crops or vegetables, or grazing occurs between the trees. For Australian investors, payments made for the investment in forestry are fully tax deductible. In every country farming has replaced forest and bush. Removal of trees can have a significant impact on the land if they are not replaced.
Land can degrade in several ways associated with the loss of deep-rooted plants.
Planting trees on a large scale prevents land degradation because their roots reach down to the underground water, effectively 'pumping' the water out of the ground and transpiring it into the atmosphere, thus keeping the water cycle in balance. This reduces the capacity of the soil to absorb and store water, and it cannot then hold storm volumes of water. Runoff is excessive, taking with it soil particles and fertiliser into the rivers. Trees help bind the soil to prevent this occurring.