Assetratherthanafailure

carbon, which is stored after they are harvested. Forestry can also reduce run-off of water from hillsides, mitigating flood risks.

From the first year of forest establishment, soil absorbs 60 times as much water as neighbouring land left as pasture. There is a wider environmental imperative – the UK is the secondlargest net global importer of wood products.

Minette Batters, deputy president of the National Farmers Union in England, accepts more tree planting will happen in future. Last November she spoke of a “shared ambition” for the future of our rural areas.

Confor calls it a common countryside policy, built on greater cooperation rather than polarised positions.

I hope Peter Chapman is right that the mindset can change – to develop this shared ambition and deliver successful agri-forestry in Scotland. Grants for planting trees (an initial planting payment followed by five years of maintenance payments) range from £2,960-£4,320 for predominantly conifer woods, and £2,480-£6,210 for different native and broadleaf woods.

Planting trees in the Central Scotland Green Network Area (CSGN) (Ayrshire, the central belt, East Lothian, West Fife and parts of Stirling) can receive higher grants, including a CSGN additional contribution of up to £2,500 per hectare, with additional cash for fencing and tree protection available.

The SRDP-funded Farm Advisory Service offers one-to-one advice on whether land is suitable for trees and how to seek the necessary approval from Forestry Commission for new woodland (www.fas.scot).

Planting treesona part of a farm canprovide that longterm income diversification that multigeneration families are seeking

Farmers often consider turning their land over to forestry to be a sign of failure – however, there are often advantages to planting trees.