Watch: Planting trees to diversify your farm

Woodland creation, management and funding

For over 40 years, the Lockett family has been slowly but steadily planting trees on Knockbairn Farm, near Dingwall in the Highlands, and using them to diversify their activity.

In this webinar farmer Richard Lockett, also a freelance land management adviser and member of the Scottish Farming and Wildlife Advisors Group (ScotFWAG), discusses:

• The family’s tree planting strategy
• What trees can deliver: shelter, improving the landscape, creating wildlife habitats, improving flood protection, carbon storage
• Richard’s planning process
• Challenges so far: tree protection, integrating woodland effectively with the farm so you don’t take too much ground, making sure it stacks up economically, certain pests like Dutch elm disease and ash dieback
• Tools to understand your soils and protect your trees - cactus guards!
• Trees as a tool for flooding protection
• Improving productivity: thinking about native species, varied tree compositions, considering after-planting management
• Knowing your environment 
• Lesson learned
• New projects: the Local Woodland Community for Dingwall

And Helen Webb, Scottish Forestry officer for the Highlands & Island Conservancy, talks about grant schemes and how they work.