The short answer is like many Australian tree crop industries, the current location and extent (area) of commercial hazelnut orchards is unknown. 

To address the data gap, under the new Australian Hazelnut Program of Research (AUSHAZ)—funded by AgriFutures Australia, the University of New England’s Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre (AARSC) will expand the Australian Tree Crop Map (ATCM) to include all commercial hazelnut orchards (> 1 hectare). 

The map will deliver the Hazelnut Growers Australia (HGA) an accurate map of their current area of production and provide the wider AUSHAZ research program with essential baseline data that will be applied in benchmarking industry performance.

Presented in the ATCM Dashboard, the map only shows the location and extent of tree crops, supporting decision-making across industry and stakeholders at multiple-scales. In the longer term, the spatial information will underpin industry-wide strategies and opportunities such as the future planning of labour and infrastructure requirements, improve preparedness and response to biosecurity threats, recovery from natural disasters, water security, traceability, supply chain and new market access.

Additionally, the baseline map will support value-added analysis including the whole of industry benchmarking of orchard health, currently and historically at multiple scales (orchard, farm and region). This data can indicate the impacts of varied seasonal weather conditions, management, pest and disease and a changing climate that in turn can be used to better understand the drivers of yield and quality, and better predict these metrics into the future.

Development of the map will be based on the current methodology developed by the AARSC. Importantly, the mapping adheres to national standards for land use mapping, supported by the Australian Collaborative Land Use and Management Program (ACLUMP). No personal or commercial information is collected or included in the map. The map simply presents the location and extent of orchards. No property boundaries, commercial information (block, variety, yield, etc.) or personal information (grower, enterprise, owner) are included. 

Information sources used to compile the map include remotely sensed data (satellite and aerial imagery), industry data, field observation and importantly industry engagement supported by location-based tools developed by the AARSC. Collaborating with industry is important for building an accurate map and is essential for mapping new plantings (which cannot be mapped with satellite imagery alone).  

To establish the most accurate baseline data for industry, HGA encourages all growers to contribute by completing the ATCM Survey using the following steps:

1. 1. Open the survey; 
   2. Add the location of your orchard by clicking on the map:
      • Select the crosshair button to quickly zoom to your location, or search for an address;
      • Zoom and pan the map to find your orchard and click on the map to place the map pin (blue pin) within your orchard;
      • Confirm the location by selecting either the ‘OK’ or ✓ button (top-right) to continue the survey.
   3. Select the tree crop type from the options available.
   4. Then, click submit to complete the survey. 

“AARSC developed the ATCM Survey as a simple location-based tool to enable contribution from industry and stakeholders. To date we have received over 4,000 survey responses! It’s invaluable to building an accurate map and essential for mapping new plantings which cannot be mapped with satellite imagery alone.” – Craig Shephard (Senior Researcher, AARSC).

If you have any questions. please contact Craig Shephard, Senior Researcher, Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre, University of New England, Brisbane, Australia. E: craig.shephard@une.edu.au W: www.une.edu.au/webapps