A Taranaki man who advocates more carbon farming says there's a solid case to be made for converting unprofitable hill-country sheep farms to forestry.

Neil Walker, a dairy farmer and Taranaki Regional Council member, has bought blocks of unproductive hill country in South Taranaki and planted pines and eucalypts on them.

He believes carbon farming is the way of the future and says farmers thinking about planting trees on unproductive hill country won't lose out.

Mr. Walker says money is available from regional councils and central government to help pay for the planting.