Introducing More Trees at Manor Farm

Be The Change Farm news

Nature corridor on Manor Farm

One of the areas we identified with Be The Change farmer Sarah as a focus on Manor Farm was bringing more trees into the landscape. It’s about identifying what areas need trees and what are the reasons behind it. We brought in Dani Olding to visit the farm with Sarah and began to explore some ideas.

Dani is a sustainable Farming Advisor, working on soil health, grassland agronomy, nutrient planning, agroecology, farm woodland creation/management and agroforestry.

Dani’s advice and experience in farm woodland planning and new planting design helped actualise what the land needed and what Sarah and family wanted. This builds on the farm visioning exercise we’d carried out previously with Marian Boswall.

Any planting is being designed to work with the farm's existing landscape: protecting livestock, connecting habitats, managing water, supporting wildlife and improving the farm for the future.

Four focus areas are beginning to emerge: 

Home Paddock

• Create a shelterbelt to reduce wind speeds and provide protection for the lambing field.

• Improve shelter and microclimate for livestock, particularly during lambing.

• Provide attractive screening between the farm and the neighbouring buildings.

• Soften views into/through the farm and improve the visual character of the landscape.

• Create additional habitat and biodiversity value around the paddock.

Bridleway

• Strengthen wildlife connectivity through the farm and link existing habitats.

• Provide shelter, cover and roosting opportunities for birds and other wildlife.

• Increase tree and woodland habitat alongside an existing public route.

• Help with water uptake and infiltration, potentially reducing water movement/run-off across the land.

• Create a more varied and attractive landscape for people using the bridleway.

Trackside Grass

• Create a linear habitat corridor, connecting different parts of the farm and allowing wildlife to move through the landscape.

• Provide shelter and habitat alongside the track, complementing rather than simply replicating the role of hedgerow trees.

• Potentially provide wind protection for neighbouring arable crops, although this may be limited by the relatively small planted areas and shallow soils.

• Could help intercept water/run-off and improve soil structure and infiltration along the track.

• Add structural diversity to an otherwise open area of grassland.

  
  

  

‘Newt Pond’ Field

• Provide additional habitat and food sources for turtle doves, birds, insects and wider wildlife.

• Improve wildlife connectivity between the pond and Stoke Dry Wood, creating a stronger link between existing habitats.

• Help buffer the pond from surrounding arable operations and reduce nutrient and sediment run-off entering the water.

• Increase shade, shelter and structural diversity around the pond — while ensuring planting is appropriate to the pond's ecological needs.

• Create a more connected mosaic of woodland, grassland, hedgerow and wetland habitats across the farm.

These are early draft ideas but provide food for thought for Sarah and family. Many factors need to be taken into account, such as soil types, livestock and machinery use, and to get the objectives for each area more focused. But it's great to start to put some roots down on this part of the project.