Agroforestry in the UK

[renewablejohn]

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.

 

It was forestry commission woodland grant but a council run conservation group supplied the trees. (Very poor quality lost 40%. have used "free" Woodland trust trees to infill).

[renewablejohn]

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

 

Was looking to do this on an 80 acre farm which has just come up for sale with three quarters of the land being suitable for forestry and one quarter for paddocks if given enough shelter. Checked on council map and two thirds of land is protected moorland which I did not have a problem with until I checked the planners interpretation which excludes forestry. It appears that is change of use even if it was short rotation coppice.

Made me laugh as the land used to be the royal hunting forest until the trees where all felled in the 1800's.

[Stoke Wood Project]

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

 

Sounds like wood pasture to me. My understanding of agroforestry is that it's for a mix of food and timber.

[timbernut]

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.

 

 

You don't have to harvest trees, have seen it done in other parts of Europe where they strip the crown ( I believe it's called 'shredding') every 10 or so years leaving a single stem, the arisings are used for fodder and when the trees are more mature (don't know what age) they are felled and apparently very high value for furniture making (presume veneer?).

Wasn't there something about growing crops between rows of trees

on country file last week?

Furthermore a chap who used to do a bit of coppicing with us spent the rest of his labour time at an agroforestry farm somewhere between Halesworth and Stradbroke in Suffolk was a good 10/15 yrs ago, but will see how it went as I see him now n again.