To mark National Tree Week this week (November 23 to December 1), farmers, landowners and estate managers are invited to a free webinar on Friday 29 November at 12pm, to find out how to use the newly launched Agroforestry toolkit.
The farmer friendly design tool enables farmers and other land managers to make easy and informed decisions about how to plant up more trees outside woodlands on their land.
Featuring insights from the Forestry Commission, Woodland Trust, agroforestry expert Edd Colbert and more, the webinar will explore the fundamentals of agroforestry and showcase the toolkit’s design features and practical applications.
Participants will also have the opportunity to listen to many key speakers including Shropshire Council’s Trees Outside Woods Project Officer Nick Rowles. Nick works on the Defra-funded Trees Outside Woods (TOW) project. His role involves working closely with landowners and providing grants and on-farm advice to get more trees in the farming landscape in the form of agroforestry systems and orchards.
The council have been working in partnership with Trees Outside Woodlands and software developers Land App to develop to online tool.
National Tree Week 2024 is the UK’s biggest annual tree celebration, marking the beginning of the winter tree planting season.
Each year Shropshire Council distributes thousands of trees to members of the public to plant out across the county. This is part of our effort to plant 345,000 trees by 2030 and reach net zero.
The council has been involved with the Defra funded Trees Outside Woodlands (TOW) scheme since 2020 to promote tree planting and the uptake of agroforestry and orchards in Shropshire.
Since the start of the TOW pilot in 2020 over 19,000 trees have been planted in Shropshire in 49 different agroforestry systems and orchards.
Councillor Ian Nellins, Cabinet Member for climate change, environment and transport said:
“National Tree Week is a fantastic opportunity for everyone to get involved in tree planting and make a positive impact on our environment.
“This event is ideal if you’re looking to integrate trees into your land management plans for sustainability and resilience. The new Agroforestry toolkit will be a valuable resource for farmers and land managers in Shropshire, helping them to integrate more trees into their landscapes effectively.
“I strongly encourage anyone with an interest in introducing more trees onto their land, to register on the free webinar to find out more.”
To find out more about the Agroforestry event and sign up to the free webinar go to Webinar Registration – Zoom
For more information about agroforestry in Shropshire visit our website at Trees Outside Woodlands Programme | Shropshire Council