Trees please!
On 10th September 2025 I’ll be at the Agroforestry Show for the first time, joining a panel session on Biodiversity Net Gain and I’m looking forward to learning more about the benefits of trees in the farmed landscape while I’m there.
It’s got me thinking about the many and varied benefits and ecosystem services that trees can provide, such as:
Timber – essential for a de-carbonised construction sector
Carbon sequestration & storage
Nutrient uptake and circulation – drawing up nutrients from deep in the soil, making them available to browsing wildlife and livestock and re-circulating them through leaf litter
Local climate regulation – providing shade and shelter for livestock, wildlife and the immediate local environment
Habitat – for insects, fungi, birds and small mammals, underpinning biodiversity
Air quality regulation – leaves can act as particulate filters
Landscape impact – from screening a building to framing a view
Amenity and cultural contribution – the importance of trees in the British landscape was vividly highlighted by the reaction to the felling of the tree at Sycamore Gap
Phytoceuticals – compounds originally found in yew are now used in cancer treatment
Food – fruit and nuts
Commercial forestry: timber, carbon & biodiversity (copyright Kate Russell)
Evidence abounds on the value of these benefits: see Joe Jones’ helpful summary of the research into benefits for farmed livestock on the Farm Carbon Toolkit website, for example. However, getting society at large to recognise and, more importantly, to pay for those ecosystem services is another issue.
There is a variety of funding streams available, depending on the scale and purpose of the planting – the mantra “right tree, right place, right reason” is an excellent starting point. But how to decide on which path to take? Do you commit to the scale and prescriptions of the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) or go for the Woodland Trust’s MOREwoods scheme? Would carbon credits make the planting proposal more viable or would BNG be a more lucrative option? Could you create a memorial woodland and run it as a commercial venture? Can you stack several different options on the same site? It can be a confusing thicket of opportunities to navigate your way through.
Parkland trees: livestock shelter, cultural and landscape value (copyright Kate Russell)
And then there are the wider issues to consider: planting trees will be a permanent land use change, with potential impact on the land value and consequences for tax reliefs. There will be ongoing costs of maintenance and pest control and you’ll need to consider access to the site for maintenance and eventually for thinning or felling.
The Agroforestry Show will be a good place to find the answers to some of these questions and to debate others with experts. It’s on 10th and 11th September 2025 at Rickmansworth and all the details can be found at https://www.agroforestryshow.com/ . See you there!
Kate Russell
Managing Director
28th August 2025