Farmers are planting thousands of trees on their land alongside crops and livestock as part of a Government-funded project to create more woodlands and tree cover across Cornwall.
Cornwall Council’s Forest for Cornwall team is supporting a series of agroforestry pilot projects with funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Woodland Creation Partnership Fund.
Agroforestry involves tree-planting in combination with ongoing farm production, for example livestock, arable, horticultural or orchard crops.
The first four pilot projects totalling more than 4,000 trees have now been planted and will contribute to the overall target of more than 32,000 trees to be planted next winter.
Trees have been planted in field corners, hedgerows, shelterbelts and orchards as well as at Rosuick Farm on the Lizard, Woodland Valley Farm in Ladock , Hametethy Farm near Bodmin and Trenow Fields at Gulval.
As well as contributing to the production on each farm the native trees are providing shade and shelter and increasing biodiversity and opportunities for nature recovery.
The Forest for Cornwall team has also held a workshop for farmers to learn more about the benefits of agroforestry recently which was attended by 60 farmers and landowners as well as representatives from the Forestry Commission and Natural England.
In addition, the team has supported the planting of more than 60 other farm and landholder projects this winter.
Cllr Martyn Alvey, Cornwall’s cabinet member for environment and climate change, said: “Tree-planting at scale by our farmers and landowners on otherwise less productive land is key to creating more woodland which helps to lock up carbon and restore nature.”
