Farmland (c) Paul Harris/2020VISION
Working with farmers and landowners
Food security is a serious issue, and we don’t want to take highly productive agricultural land out of production. We want to work with farmers and their representative organisations to find the best way to incorporate more trees into a productive farmed landscape.
This might include general measures such as bushier hedgerows, more hedgerow trees, trees in fields, restoring traditional orchards or wood pastures. We’ll also be working with landowners to find suitable locations for woodland creation. We'll consider the evidence and application of more innovative and less traditional solutions like agroforestry (interspersing lines of trees through crops), which has been used successfully in Europe and is now being trialled in Britain.
Paul Harris/2020VISION
Climate change impact alleviation
Trees and hedgerows have many benefits in the farmed landscape and, with climate change, you may see a need for more livestock shelter and shading. Heat stress has been shown to reduce productivity in dairy and beef cattle, and bigger bushier hedgerows with the right trees planted in the right place can provide shade and reduce their stress.
Trees may can also provide an additional source of browsing for livestock, as well as aiding in water and soil retention, and alleviating the risk of flooding.
Paul Harris/2020VISION
Economics and diversification
We believe there is a strong economic argument for incorporating trees into farming systems.
The Severn Treescapes farmer events will bring together a range of speakers to present the pros and cons and shine a light on the opportunities and markets that trees could provide. From timber production, carbon trading, livestock shelter and food production like fruit and nuts to soil condition enhancement, and pest and disease resilience.
Farmer and landowner events
We will be running a series of free information events and demonstration site visits over the course of the project. Information on upcoming events and registration details will be posted on our events page.
Farmer and landowner advice visits
If you would like to investigate the potential options for increasing the number of trees on your land, book a call or free visit from one of our advisors.
They can guide you on the condition of any existing woodland or other tree habitats, suitable locations for tree planting, how to find grant opportunities from various funding sources, management advice and more.
Farmer and landowner resources
Severn Trent's hedgerow guidance for farmers
Severn Treescapes Webinar: The benefits of trees to farming webinar in conjunction with CLA Midlands, the Forestry Commission, NFU, Soil Association and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.
Nature Friendly Farming Network Webinar: In this webinar, two farmers from England and Wales share their approaches to hedgerows and woodland management through a live screening of their case study videos, followed by a Q&A to dig deeper into their practices.