How many trees have you planted this winter?

[Ffermer Bach]

It is a bit. About 1000 of these, and half a tonne of 1.6mm HT.View attachment 944064

I feel sorry for you, having to fit the insulators

 

[toquark]

About 750,000. Ok not all by me personally... on the estate I manage.

150 Norway spruce and 150 beech and 2 Rowan at home.

also looking at felling a wood to plant a shed...

 

[Monty]

3 beech, 2 sycamore, 1 birch, 1 tulip tree, 1 eucalyptus, 3 rowans, a cherry & acer in the garden plus 225 hawthorns to fill hedge gaps

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I feel sorry for you, having to fit the insulators

They are insulators clips just lock on with a wedge system so you can move the wires to suit.

Actually remarkably cheap, putting 130 troughs in is a lot more expensive than the fencing, but we can then run 6 mobs of cattle instead of 1, and run 6/ha instead of 4.3. And grow another layer (canopy) to help keep the land cooler over summer, warmer over winter.

A lot of pluses to integrating edible tree species into the grazing landscape, and relatively few negatives to offset.
Most NZ natives are very palatable because there were no ruminants here until the 1800s.
Many of the tree seedlings can literally be collected from the roadsides and planted at home

 

[farmerfred86]

20 trees annually

 

[Bill dog]

Got this lot to bung in to replace 9 acre we chopped last year .

 

[berisford]

Have other people found it impossible to source Douglas Fir forestry plants this season,must have tried nurseries all over the country,with no luck, had to be all sitka this year,difficult getting those as well.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

None... this tree planting all seems to be part of the current fashion for 're-wilding'.
Lets hope its just a passing fad and the next fashion is for eating, rearing beef and lamb is what im good at and enjoy so will stick to that for now.

Does it have to be "either/ or"?

 

[muleman]

Does it have to be "either/ or"?

Not sure, i havnt looked into it.
But dont want grazing land hampered by trees really.

 

[wanton dwarf]

In response to the BBC headlining that National Trust are planning to plant dozens of trees this year.

It strikes me that I have made a bit more of an effort myself. How about you?

My answer 6500

Unless you're in a scheme where you are being paid I'm afraid this is somewhat self defeating from a business perspective.

Done the same in the past (3000), we have a nice personal space but it doesn't pay AND it won't pay when/if DEFRA bring in schemes.

Far better to wait and see what comes. Otherwise you are reducing much needed future earnings and reducing land space where you can make those earnings.

 

[Goggles]

Not sure, i havnt looked into it.
But dont want grazing land hampered by trees really.

Could some trees planted on field edges not provide shade and shelter?
I’m just playing devil’s advocate.

 

[Pan mixer]

Unless you're in a scheme where you are being paid I'm afraid this is somewhat self defeating from a business perspective.

Done the same in the past (3000), we have a nice personal space but it doesn't pay AND it won't pay when/if DEFRA bring in schemes.

Far better to wait and see what comes. Otherwise you are reducing much needed future earnings and reducing land space where you can make those earnings.

Yes in a scheme, what do you think - I am made of money?

 

[Rossymons]

We're in a scheme to plant them as well as get the carbon credits. As I've been happily paying the mortgage on this piece of land but unable to farm it commercially due to its typography there's little else I can do with it.

The coppicing and tree nursery we're establishing is off our own backs though.

 

[Cowabunga]

Trees plant themselves around here. I have one steep bank that was clear and grassy when I was young and we had sheep. Fenced it off for 'conservation' back in the late 1970's and now it is an impenetrable jungle with quite large trees growing all over it with their branches needing trimmed to keep them clear of the productive part this side of the fence.

It's only about four years ago we trimmed back large branches to the cwm [valley] but last year they were again invasive and I had to row up twice on the relevant headlands to allow the forage harvester to travel. The second time was obviously to offset the windrow further. I have many hedges and valley borders like that and I'm threatening to cut the bigger, older trees off at the knee rather than trim the branches back every four or five years.

Trees and hedges have grown far more vigorously during the past five years than I've ever seen them before. A combination of damp summers and more CO2 perhaps?

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Trees plant themselves around here. I have one steep bank that was clear and grassy when I was young and we had sheep. Fenced it off for 'conservation' back in the late 1970's and now it is an impenetrable jungle with quite large trees growing all over it with their branches needing trimmed to keep them clear of the productive part this side of the fence.

It's only about four years ago we trimmed back large branches to the cwm [valley] but last year they were again invasive and I had to row up twice on the relevant headlands to allow the forage harvester to travel. The second time was obviously to offset the windrow further. I have many hedges and valley borders like that and I'm threatening to cut the bigger, older trees off at the knee rather than trim the branches back every four or five years.

Trees and hedges have grown far more vigorously during the past five years than I've ever seen them before. A combination of damp summers and more CO2 perhaps?

sounds like a job for a tree shear

 

[Gav]

Just under 900 assorted fruit trees acting as wind breaks and walking corridors at a market garden.

 

[jonny]

Have other people found it impossible to source Douglas Fir forestry plants this season,must have tried nurseries all over the country,with no luck, had to be all sitka this year,difficult getting those as well.

There’s millions of spruce plants in Ireland that can’t be got rid of as planting areas are away down

 

[farmerm]

got accepted for some free hedge plants though a council scheme... finally I hear we can pick them up in the last week of March, right about the point when I have a 1000 other jobs to be doing other than hedge planting!

 

[True North]

Blackthorn hedge I planted 6 years ago for making sloe gin wiil be ready to lay next year then probably another 3 years before it thickens up into a decent hedge. Already had 2 harvests off it but last year got nothing due to late frosts.

Now this is an idea. Tons of blackberry bramble we want shut of and this is a very good idea!

 

[Paulg4]

We've planted just over 1000 on a banky area, with a Glastir grant in December. I'm getting a bit nervous now due to the lack of rain...