| On Topic
support sustainable food production. It also
affects the rate water can infiltrate into the soil,
increasing the pollution of water courses
through runoff of soil sediment, seeds and
fertilisers. This leads to sedimentation and
contamination of streams and rivers, which
damages fisheries and wildlife, and increases
water treatment costs. It can take up to 500
years to form 1cm of topsoil.
How can trees help?
Tree belts can act as natural barriers to
protect soils and crops from the full impact of
intense rainfall or strong winds. A mix of
broadleaved trees and shrubs planted in the
right place, along contours, perpendicular to
prevailing winds or in areas known to be
vulnerable, can help to prevent soil erosion.
Trees also help reduce soil and water
movement by increasing water infiltration rates
of the soil and slowing the flow of transported
sediments. By trapping pollutants bound to soil
particles, trees help reduce water pollution,
acting as nutrient sinks. Organic matter added
from leaf litter and root debris can also promote
soil structure which in turn will help reduce
surface water run-off.
Integrating trees in the right place within a
farming system can play an important role in
preventing soil erosion. These trees also
provide a home to a wide range of wildlife,
absorb carbon and add to the beauty and
diversity of the landscape.
Nottinghamshire farmer Richard Thomas
can recall more than one occasion when he
stood watching his livelihood literally wash
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away before his eyes. Haywood Oaks Farm,
near Blidworth, stands on rolling hills that
expose its 1,000 arable hectares (2,500
acres) to the elements.
Strong winds were stripping valuable top
soil from the land, while intensive rainfall
was washing away the most fertile soil.
“There were instances where we could
literally see the soil leaving the farm and
once that happens, we’ve lost that forever,”
said Richard.
The solution lay in a major tree planting
programme on pockets of poor condition
land where no crops would otherwise grow.
Working in partnership with a Woodland
Trust adviser, they identified areas of the
farm where trees could deliver protection
from erosion and improve the productivity of
the business.
The result saw 7,550 trees planted on a
total area of just one hectare, barely 0.1% of
the farm’s land. The Woodland Trust
subsidised the cost of the trees and guards,
so the benefits of the strategic planting will
soon outstrip the investment.
James Thomas, Richard’s son who now
farms in partnership with his father looks
ahead to the future of the farm. “In years to
come we’ll have these tree belts established
and in need of thinning which will produce
woodfuel to help feed our biomass burner”
Beccy Speight, Chief Executive of the
Woodland Trust, said: “There’s been a growing
interest and concern amongst farmers about
soil erosion and how this can affect the
productivity of their farms. We’re keen to
demonstrate how trees can protect this
precious resource, whilst at the same time
offering a range of other benefits, such as
shelter for livestock, pollution abatement and
wood fuel.”
Together with the Soil Association and
Royal Forestry Society, the Woodland Trust
is staging an agroforestry conference at
Cranfield University on June 22 where
farmers can discover the many benefits of
planting trees on farms. The conference will
showcase some of the UK’s leading
agroforestry systems and look at the main
steps and questions faced in getting them
off the ground.
National and international speakers are
included in the line-up, along with those
currently practicing agroforestry techniques,
and Charlotte Smith of BBC Radio 4’s
Farming Today will chair the sessions.
For more information and to book tickets
search “Agroforestry 2017” at
woodlandtrust.org.uk
Find out more about how the Woodland Trust
can help you plant trees, visit
woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant
June 2017 | Farming Monthly | 15