Ancient trees and farming

[gdh]

To be fair to the farmer that area has clearly been left before. For all we know they've just down a shallow area of ploughing to replant grass for maximum grazing.

[Mick Dempsey]

Ploughing v trees = dysfunction, decline and death

 

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[ATTACH]203928[/ATTACH].

 

Well they've got to take their chances if they're in an agricultural field.

As has been said they were planted and or left as shelter/shade for stock, as farming practices and our food demands have changed.

Rather than spending time and money (and hand wringing) on these trees (by which I mean trees in fields on agricultural land) I say concentrate resources on planting. The aforementioned trees will look after themselves, or they won't.

[Kveldssanger]

Well they've got to take their chances if they're in an agricultural field.

As has been said they were planted and or left as shelter/shade for stock, as farming practices and our food demands have changed.

Rather than spending time and money (and hand wringing) on these trees (by which I mean trees in fields on agricultural land) I say concentrate resources on planting. The aforementioned trees will look after themselves, or they won't.

 

With the greatest of respect, this is the sort of attitude that projects some sort of lack of responsibility for the problem at hand, by simply discarding the problem by stating that the trees can sort themselves out. We are losing agricultural trees, and fast. This has problems for landscape connectivity, the heterogeneity of habitat, crop yields, soil ecology, and so much more. They were once planted or retained for their mast, though times have changed and we're putting so many stresses upon our environments that we need to change approach. An economic pursuit once now becomes an ecological one.

[Mick Dempsey]

With the greatest of respect, this is the sort of attitude that projects some sort of lack of responsibility for the problem at hand, by simply discarding the problem by stating that the trees can sort themselves out. We are losing agricultural trees, and fast. This has problems for landscape connectivity, the heterogeneity of habitat, crop yields, soil ecology, and so much more. They were once planted or retained for their mast, though times have changed and we're putting so many stresses upon our environments that we need to change approach. An economic pursuit once now becomes an ecological one.

 

Explain how possibly, and not without some sadness, losing some trees in the middle of fields (what I imagine you meant by "agricultural trees") is causing all those things.

[Kveldssanger]

Explain how possibly, and not without some sadness, losing some trees in the middle of fields (what I imagine you meant by "agricultural trees") is causing all those things.

 

1. Landscape connectivity

To get from A to B, organisms need to travel via certain means. For humans, this generally means roads. For birds and bats, this may often mean by using trees (particularly woodland birds). Trees need to be present within a landscape, in order for birds to successfully travel from A to B (assuming A and B are separated by a different type of landscape - imagine two woodlands with a large agricultural landscape in between both). With trees, birds and bats can 'stop off' (for feeding, roosting, hiding from predators, etc) along the way. Without trees, they cannot, and thus they essentially become trapped in their woodland site. For smaller organisms, such as saproxylic (deadwood-lovers) insects, if there aren't trees within a ~50m radius (or less) from their current host tree, they are wholly trapped. When that tree dies, the insect population goes with it. Here is the expanse of literature explaining how landscape connectivity works.

 

2. Heterogeneity of the landscape

Agricultural fields + hedgerows + field trees = more diverse than just agricultural fields + hedgerows. Diversity is, by-and-large, good, when it comes to the natural environment.

 

3. Crop yields & soil ecology

Trees shelter (individuals or shelterbelts) crops from desiccation (by wind). They support mycorrhizal associations. They improve nutrient recycling by supporting soil biota (organisms). They reduce rates of soil erosion.

[Mick Dempsey]

That's a reasonable standpoint. Not without merit.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

I would say that the prospect of urban TOs strolling around farmland lecturing farmers is an amusing one.

 

Not that unrealistic - certainly not a wasted effort or un-needed, I'd argue. Wether it be the TO or the FC field officer, SOMEBODY needs to try and educate the people that are so desperate to wring every last ounce of efficiency out of the land - at any (environmental) cost.

 

Instead of whining, on the one hand, about the perceived burden of overtly restrictive EU cross compliancy requirements, whilst on the other, claiming ignorance of the 1967 Forestry Act when smashing out hedges (yes 1967 - it's been in effect THAT long (and people STILL claim "ignorance")), and yet still claiming to be "custodians" of the countryside (and greedily hoovering up a plethora of tax payer funded concessions and benefits), the agriculture INDUSTRY might stop whining and take some responsibility for it's actions....

[MattyF]

Totally agree there Kevin... Would any of the governing bodies in the tree industry be prepared to make and distribute such information though that is the only way I can see it being put across...

[MattyF]

That's sad....very sad.

 

 

Aye mate .. Just passed another pile of veteran ash and a load more marked for felling I can only presume by highways or the council ...Soon this road that made you feel like you where entering some where special and not ruined will end up looking like every other shite and B Barron road in the country.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Totally agree there Kevin... Would any of the governing bodies in the tree industry be prepared to make and distribute such information though that is the only way I can see it being put across...

 

It's already out there Matty - Ancient and Other Veteran Trees: further guidance on management (http://ancienttreeforum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ATF_book.pdf) - to name just one example. I'm sure there are more....