https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/sustainable-farming-incentive-pilot-guidance-maintain-in-field-trees/
Maintain in-field trees
The guidance on this page is for SFI pilot participants only. Please visit GOV.UK for the official Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme guidance.
Find out how land managers can improve livestock welfare, soil structure and wildlife habitats by maintaining in-field trees.
If you’re completing this action as part of the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot, how you do it is up to you.
The advice on this page can help you get better environmental and business benefits, but you do not have to follow it to get paid.
Why you should keep in-field trees
Healthy trees within fields can provide habitat for wildlife.
Older trees and those with some dead wood can support the widest range of wildlife. Standing dead trees can also provide valuable habitat. You should maintain them as long as they pose no risk to people or wildlife.
You can find in-field trees on arable land and pasture. They can increase farm productivity by:
- providing shade for crops
- improving livestock welfare by providing shelter in the winter and shade in the summer
In-field trees can act as corridors for pollinators like bees and other insects, helping them access more areas of large open fields. You can also create hedges and shelter belts (rows of trees along fence lines) to help with this.
Trees can also benefit pollinators by providing:
- over-winter refuges and nesting sites
- pollen and nectar sources for a large part of the year
Trees can improve soil condition. They can:
- reduce soil erosion
- increase water infiltration
- improve soil stability
- produce leaf litter which helps improve soil structure and reduce surface water runoff
- take nitrogen from the air and fix it in the soil
Trees also provide benefits to the wider community and environment. They can:
- improve air quality
- increase carbon storage
- help to reduce the effects of climate change
- help maintain traditional landscapes
- provide local communities with cultural and aesthetic value
Find out how to establish trees along field boundaries and how to maintain them.
How to maintain in-field trees
Establish a root protection area
A root protection area is a buffer around trees that will protect roots and help trees stay healthy.
The size of the root protection area should be:
- 10 metres from the edge of the trunk for trees in the arable land standard
- at least 2 metres beyond the edge of the canopy for trees in the improved grassland standard
- at least 2 metres beyond the edge of the canopy for trees in the low and no input grassland standard
If you have veteran trees in grassland, establish a root protection area of whichever is the larger of:
- 15 times the diameter of the tree trunk at chest height
- 5 metres beyond the canopy
In the root protection area, do not:
- plough, as this can cause damage to the tree roots
- use agricultural sprays or fertilisers
- allow vehicles to drive over the area and damage the soil
- allow scrub to develop, as it will compete with the tree
Protect trees from livestock
Do not place animal feed or water in the root protection area. Livestock can damage the tree by compacting the soil or stripping the bark. Maintain livestock numbers at a level which prevents these issues.
You can put up a barrier around the root protection area to protect the tree, like a:
- temporary fence
- permanent fence
- hedge
- dead hedge made of branches and twigs
Do not allow nettles, brambles or scrub to become established along these barriers.
Mulch tree roots
If there is soil damage around the tree, you can apply mulch around the base. Do not put the mulch against the bark of the tree as this will cause rot. A mulch will:
- prevent and control weed and scrub growth
- reduce soil compaction
- increase earthworm numbers, which help with soil compaction
Use natural materials for the mulch, for example wood chips grown locally from the same species of tree.
Keep dead and decaying wood
Leave any dead wood or decaying wood in place. Do not cut it up or remove it. If fallen branches are an obstacle you can move them beneath the tree canopy. If this is not possible, create a dead wood pile nearby.
Only remove branches if it will benefit the tree. For example, to prevent the tree from blowing over. Where possible, undertake works from November to February when the tree is dormant.
You can work on trees for health and safety reasons at any time.
What healthy trees look like
Your trees will have healthy crowns and good annual growth. You should be able to keep them for many years as living trees and later as dead wood.
Trees respond slowly if you attempt to restore them to health. It may take several years to notice an improvement in tree health.
