Free Trees

Why not take advantage of the FREE TREES  & GUARDS offer through the Upstream Thinking Project. 

Now is the perfect time to consider planting trees, as the ideal time for planting is between November – March. This is when trees are dormant and are less likely to get damaged. Your saplings will also be rooted and ready to maximize growth come springtime. 

Well-sited and well-managed small-scale woodlands, hedgerows, shelter belts and riparian corridors have significant benefits to you and the environment including: 

• Sheltering livestock – Trees provide shelter and shade throughout the year. The woodland Trust has a practical guide for sheep farmers shows how integrating trees into sheep management systems can boost production and improve animal health and welfare. 
• Stabilizing soils – more relevant than ever due to the increased frequency of weather extremes. 
• Riparian trees capture sediment and nutrients, reducing runoff into rivers, keeping them clean and healthy for fish and other freshwater species. 
• Natural flood management – slowing surface flow and improving infiltration leads to water being held on the land for longer and so reducing flooding of watercourses downstream. 
• Supporting native biodiversity, reconnecting wildlife corridors and sequestering carbon. 
• Reducing ammonia emissions – tree can be planted to form shelterbelts around slurry storage and animal housing: 
  1. Reduce emissions from slurry lagoons by reducing the wind speed over its surface 
  2. Recapture ammonia by the trees themselves through increased turbulence and deposition velocities 
  3. Increase the dispersion above the canopy through increased mixing thereby reducing deposition to nearby sensitive habitats. 

Further information and guidance can be found here