Duchy College: Agroforestry Planting for Dairy Grazing and Shelter

Planting for a Working Dairy System

The design included three main rows of trees, with each row made up of three planting lines.

The outside lines were planted as coppiceable browse rows and wind shelters. Species included goat willow, hazel, rowan and aspen. These were chosen to provide a more immediate low-level structure, with foliage that could eventually offer browsing value and shelter along the grazing paddocks.

The middle line was planted with standard tree species intended to provide longer-term shelter, shade and potential timber value. Species included English oak, field maple, walnut, wild cherry and silver birch.

That mix gave the planting several jobs to do at once. The outer rows should establish as lower, denser shelter and browse lines, while the central standard trees should form the long-term structure of the agroforestry system.

Following the Planting Plan

We worked from the supplied plans and maps, liaising with the Future Farm Manager and project lead at Duchy College throughout the job.

Between 1,000 and 1,500 trees and shrubs were planted. The stock and guards were supplied through Duchy College and the Woodland Trust, with our role focused on accurate implementation of the design.

The standard trees were planted first at 10m spacings through the central rows. These were protected with 1.6m plastic-free tree guards and supporting stakes, giving the scheme its main framework.

Once the central rows were in place, we planted the browsable hedgelines alongside them at 1m spacings. These were installed with 60cm tube guards and stake supports.

The spacing mattered. This was not a general shelterbelt where small variations would make little difference. It was a structured agroforestry layout designed to divide future paddocks and work alongside a grazing regime, so the rows, gaps and species positions all needed to be right.

Working Around Farm Constraints

Like most farm planting projects, the work had to fit around the realities of the site.

We had to negotiate water troughs, gas lines, steep contours and the need to keep long planting lines straight across uneven ground. Those sorts of constraints can look minor on paper, but they affect where trees can safely go and how the finished scheme will work.

The fencing was installed after the planting, so the trees had to be protected properly from the start and the layout had to remain clear for the fencing contractors to follow.

Good agroforestry planting needs that balance. The trees have to be planted accurately, but they also have to sit sensibly within the farm infrastructure.