Sarah Radcliffe, forestry and woodland manager for H&H Land & Estates, is reassuring farmers that ‘planting trees on the farm does not always mean taking hectares of land out of agriculture and turning it over to permanent woodland’.
Ms Radcliffe spoke about how trees can take many different shapes in the farming landscape, from individual hedgerow trees to wood pasture, low density scrub planting or traditional shelterbelts – which have the ability to modify the microclimate of a field by reducing windspeeds and increasing daytime temperatures.
Sarah Radcliffe
“Increasing the amount of woodland or trees on your farm does not mean you need to give up that productive field,” she said. “All farms have areas that are too wet, too steep or where the tractor cannot get into and there are various options for keeping this land productive and increasing the tree cover over the farm.”
Plus, trees can benefit farmers (on top of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping with flood prevention) by providing shelter and nutrition for livestock. “Providing an outside environment for livestock to graze, with areas of shelter and shade offered by trees, can reduce stress too,” Ms Radcliffe added.
For more information or advice regarding woodland management, contact Sarah Radcliffe at sarah.radcliffe@hhlandestates.co.uk.
