Why Trees are a Farm’s Best Long Term Defence

How trees help your land beat the heat:

• Cooling and Moisture retention: Trees act as natural windbreaks and create localised cooling effects. This helps your soil and crops hold onto precious water. Drought can cause poor germination rates, resulting in lower crop outputs, meaning less food for us and farm animals. Shelter can also raise the soil temperatures in winter which extends the growing season.
• Essential Shade & Shelter: Tree canopies create natural cooling zones, keeping livestock comfortable, reducing heat stress and improving animal welfare. Studies show a reduction in lamb losses and better milk yields. Stress in animals from the hot weather can actually decrease milk production, meaning losses in the dairy market and less milk for consumption.
• Long-Term Resilience: Trees aren’t a quick fix, but investing in them today means building a cooler, more sheltered, and resilient farm ecosystem for decades to come. Tree planting, even on small scales such as ‘shelter belts’ can reduce the spread of disease by creating a livestock proof hedge which segregates the herds between the fields. Shelter belts can also potentially increase arable yields as a result of efficient water use by increased infiltration rates associated with greater tree and hedgerow cover.