Plant trees to breathe new life into farmland

In these ever-changing and challenging times, it’s natural to just keep your head down and keep going. If you do get a breather and a bit of downtime to plan ahead, though, then it’s worth considering growing trees as part of your business.

I’ve worked on farms myself, so I know farmers always have an eye on the future, and farm woodlands can offer plenty of benefits.

But tree-planting needs to be done in the right place for the right reasons.

Farm woodlands provide multiple benefits for a business, and funding is available for farmers through the Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS).

Trees can provide shelter for livestock, which in turn increases productivity and reduces costs. Shelterbelts can also protect crops and reduce soil erosion, keeping soil – your most valuable asset – in the field.

Added to this, the trees can help prevent run-off of manure and fertiliser into water courses, while also providing a future income through timber sales. Fastgrowing tree species can produce saleable timber in around 20 years through thinning, which also helps manage the woodland for future quality timber production.

Tree–planting can also help redefine or renew farm boundaries, which can help in the ongoing management of stock that’s always handy.

Farmers are keen to boost biodiversity and the new woodlands can create habitats for wildlife that can host a large number of insects, in turn helping in the pollination of nearby crops.

Another important benefit is that tree-planting will help reduce the carbon footprint of the business something we are all trying to achieve in the drive to reach net zero.

By planting on marginal parts of the farm, you can also help to bring underutilised and difficultto-manage ground into productive use.

If you are thinking about planting trees, I would always advise starting with a clear objective. Decide what the new woodland is for and how you can achieve it.

Consider site location and, as with any crop, soil type and climatic conditions are key, as this will affect the choice of species that will grow well to give you a viable crop.

There are various types of funding available.

The Forestry Grant Scheme provides a wide range of grant support options, whether it be for shelter, timber production, improving habitats,

sporting use or for source of wood fuel.

If you apply for a forestry grant, you can receive an initial payment to cover the design of the scheme, ground prep, cost of trees and the planting.

Added to this, help is available in annual maintenance payments for up to five years. Money for fencing, tree shelters and vole guards is available too.

We also operate a “Sheep and Trees” grants package, which allows you to apply for woodland creation and infrastructure grants at the same time, so you can plant woodlands and benefit from building an access road to aid management of your new woodland.

And don’t forget, there is also Farm Advisory Service funding that can be applied for. Farmers can access up to £1,000 to get a forestry consultant on farm to have a look at woodland creation possibilities for your business.

If you are interested, Scottish Forestry’s door is always open to discuss tree planting. Our woodland officer network across the country is available and we are willing to help.

However, if you would prefer to speak to a farmer who has already been there and done it, you can join us for one of our events as part of the Integrating Trees Network.

This is hosted by a number of farmers who are happy to give advice on their farm woodland experiences.

More general guidance is available online at forestry.gov.scot/supportregulations/ woodland-creation

MULTI-TASKING: As well as boosting biodiversity and helping to prevent run-off, trees can help reduce a business’s carbon footprint and provide shelter to livestock.

It’s important to research and plan before you get planting, to ensure you plant the right trees in the right place for your farm.