Cherry Growers Help Map Australia’s Cherry Orchards!
How big is Australia’s cherry industry?
The truth is we don’t know. Like many Australian tree crop industries, there’s a data gap when it comes to the current location and extent of commercial cherry orchards.
To fix this, Cherry Growers Australia (CGA) is collaborating with the University of New England’s Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre (AARSC) as part of the “Spatially Enabling Tree Crop Production Practice 2023–2027” project.
This national initiative, funded by Hort Innovation and the Future Food Systems CRC, aims to expand the Australian Tree Crop Map (ATCM) to include all commercial cherry orchards larger than 1 hectare.
Why does this matter?
The ATCM will give CGA and industry stakeholders an accurate, up-to-date map showing the location and extent of cherry orchards, without collecting any personal or commercial information. This data is critical for:
- Planning labour and infrastructure
- Biosecurity preparedness and disaster recovery
- Water security and supply chain optimisation
- Traceability and new market access
In the future, this baseline map will also support whole-of-industry benchmarking, helping us analyse orchard health, seasonal impacts, pest and disease trends and even the effects of climate change on yield and quality.
What data is collected?
The map includes only orchard locations, no personal details, property boundaries, or commercial data (like block, variety, or yield) are included. The AARSC uses:
🛰️ Satellite & aerial imagery
📊 Industry data
👀 Field observations
📍 Grower input through the ATCM Survey
New plantings and orchards under netting can’t always be picked up by satellite imagery, which makes grower contributions essential for accuracy.
Contribute to the ATCM Survey in 3 Easy Steps:
- Open the ATCM survey – Click here or scan the QR code below.
- Add your orchard location – Pin your orchard on the interactive map.
- Select your crop & submit – Choose “cherries” and hit submit!
“To date, over 4,000 growers have contributed, helping us build Australia’s most accurate tree crop map. Your input is invaluable, especially for mapping new plantings that can’t be captured by satellite alone.” Craig Shephard, Senior Researcher, AARSC
Help shape the future of Australia’s cherry industry complete the survey today or scan the QR code below!
