Agroforestry in the UK

[Lucan]

I see there may be grants for agroforestry in the new round of CAP. Does anyone have any experience/opinions of it, more in relation to woodfuel/timber production than food production?

[wrsni]

Are you using the term in the loose sense as in the growing of trees being pitched to farmers, or something a bit more specific?

[Lucan]

Are you using the term in the loose sense as in the growing of trees being pitched to farmers, or something a bit more specific?

 

The growing of trees and keeping of livestock on the same piece of land. Planting relatively low number of trees (200-400 trees/ha) without any adverse impact on current sheep/cattle stocking densities.

 

Agroforestry

[wrsni]

The growing of trees and keeping of livestock on the same piece of land. Planting relatively low number of trees (200-400 trees/ha) without any adverse impact on current sheep/cattle stocking densities.

 

Agroforestry

 

Department of agriculture over here done some work on this 20 odd years ago, one of the sites was just on the edge of the Glens and I be past it occasionally. Read a bit of info on the study when I was weighing up the options for my own planting I'll try and find a link and post it up.

[renewablejohn]

I was conned with this with my woodland grant scheme. Plant low density shelter belts and it will not affect your SPF acreage. Wrong for every hectare planted they have reduced my SPF acreage by the same amount which now means I have less than 5 hectares eligible SPF so will not be eligible for the new scheme. ie totally shafted.

[crobinson]

Be careful with existing woodlands. Farm Woodland Premium Scheme prohibits grazing of livestock on ex-agricultural land now planted with woodland. Even though the payments stop after 15 years, the obligation period is 30 years.

 

Make sure you don't have any grant schemes which prohibit grazing before you start.

[Charlieh]

I was conned with this with my woodland grant scheme. Plant low density shelter belts and it will not affect your SPF acreage. Wrong for every hectare planted they have reduced my SPF acreage by the same amount which now means I have less than 5 hectares eligible SPF so will not be eligible for the new scheme. ie totally shafted.

 

was this a forestry commission woodland grant scheme? as it should be eligible for SPF payment as long as the work was done under an RDPE funded scheme. If however it was planting with funding from someone like woodland trust (non RDPE) then you cant claim SPF on it.

[Lucan]

I'm guessing that even with 5m spacing and regular pruning to lift the canopy the trees would need to be harvested after 15-20yrs before shade, leaf litter, etc started to impact grazing quality?

 

In this case you won't get anything for a conifer crop which leaves establishing a broadleaved coppice, but you would have to fence off 10-15% on rotation to allow new shoots to establish, taking land out of production.

 

I'm struggling to see the financial incentive unless it's growing apples in south England.

[Will Heal]

Used to work in an 70acres of apple orchards when I was at school thaw farmer used to cut the grass and make hay between the trees. It was rubbish stuff, not dried properly (he didn't turn it enough) and full of sticks and weeds. He grazed sheep in there for part of the year aswell.

[verdifish]

Sorry to butt in but what's SPF ?