Campaign launched to support next generation of lone trees
PR & communications officer - Scotland
Woodland Trust Scotland has launched a campaign to raise the next generation of lone trees and micro woods on farms and crofts.
Woodland Trust Scotland director Alastair Seaman said:
"As in so many cases where our woods and trees are concerned, some of the big old ones are still going strong, but there are not enough young small ones coming up to replace them.
"I pass a beautiful old tree on my lunchtime walks. It stands alone in the middle of the field and has seen a thing or two in its time. It's where the sheep find shade on hot summer days and where the lambs bed down to escape the howling winds. Its decaying wood is home to fungi and minibeasts that in turn feed the birds. It is a treasured feature of the landscape and testimony to the foresight of farmers long-gone who planted and tended it. But unless things change, when it finally falls over, there will be nothing like it in the field.
"The Scottish Government is currently drafting the detail behind the Rural Support Plan that will boost financial help for farmers and crofters. For a healthy, prosperous future for business, community and nature, this must include support to plant the trees that are such a key part of the landscape."
Supporters are invited to back the Woodland Trust Scotland campaign online.
Despite our growing awareness of the importance of open field trees, and £755m of public funds for farming in Scotland this year, there is no grant support available for farmers to plant the next generation of these living legends. That's in stark contrast to England where farmers do receive support for such planting.
The catalyst for the Woodland Trust Scotland campaign is a joint report produced for the charity and Soil Association Scotland, which focuses on small-scale opportunities for tree planting outside the scope of the current Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS) agroforestry options.
The proposals were developed after an online workshop and separate interviews with farmers and land managers.
Six tree planting systems were identified that would integrate well with Scottish farming practices and provide significant benefits to farmers and crofters, wider society and the environment:
- silvopastoral - single trees in grassland
- silvopastoral - small enclosures of trees in grassland
- small farm woods - less than 0.25ha planting
- silvoarable - alley cropping in arable fields
- hedgerow and field boundary trees
- boundary - biodiverse hedgerows.
Farms and crofts can benefit from trees in a multitude of ways, including shade and shelter for livestock, improved soil structure and reduced erosion, better water management, vital habitats for Scottish wildlife, valuable materials such as timber, firewood, fruit and animal feed, and reduced air and water pollution.
Notes to editors
For further information contact George Anderson on 07900 891691.
About the Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK with more than 500,000 supporters.
With a vision of a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature, today the Trust owns and cares for more than 1,000 woodland sites, covering around 33,000 hectares.
The Woodland Trust has three key aims:
- protecting the UK's rare, unique and irreplaceable ancient woodland
- restoring damaged ancient woodland, nurturing precious pieces of our natural heritage back to life
- establishing new native trees and woods to create healthy, resilient landscapes for people and wildlife.
Access to all Woodland Trust woods is free so everyone can experience the physical and mental benefits of trees.