Vegetation

Vegetation condition improved to levels last seen in 2011.

National vegetation condition improved to levels last seen in 2011: 3% more than the previous year and 10% above the 2000–2021 average. Vegetation conditions remained stable or improved in most of the country. The best conditions since 2000 were recorded in several regions of the eastern states and southwest WA. The strongest increases occurred in native forests in the coastal Victoria-NSW border region and the Fraser Coast in Queensland.Vegetation condition declined from the previous year in southwest WA, parts of the Victorian south coast and Tasmania but remained above the 2000-2021 average. Very low vegetation cover was measured in the Goldfields region in WA.

National vegetation growth rates, estimated from weather and satellite data, were the best since
at least 2000, when estimates began. Nationally, growth was 11% better than the previous year and 28% above the 2000–2021 average.
National carbon uptake was dominated by excellent growing conditions in the major cropping and sheep grazing regions on both sides of the country.
Growth conditions remained poor for the fourth year in a row in the inland WA Goldfields and Nullarbor regions.
Vegetation primary production was high across all land use sectors. Growth conditions were the best since before 2000 in dryland cropping (49% above 2000–2021 average conditions), irrigation cropping (+43%), forestry (+18%), and intensive agricultural, industrial and urban land uses (+26%). Growth conditions were the second- highest after 2011 on grazing land (+36%) and in natural environments (+15%).

Increased water availability and low fire activity led to expanding tree cover. Tree cover, the canopy fraction of vegetation >2 m tall, increased by 6% or
3.5 Mha from the previous year, reaching 13% above the 2000-2021 average extent and the highest since 2017.
Tree cover increased most in inland southeast Australia and in Queensland. Tree cover declined somewhat from the previous year in isolated regions in the cropping regions of southwest Australia, Victoria and NSW but remained above the 2000-2021 average. Below-average tree cover occurred in the Northern Territory and in inland WA, with record low values observed in the Mid-West region of WA.