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<p>Over this Parliament, we will have invested over £6.5 million in research into
trees outside woodlands, including agroforestry. This includes a partnership with
the Tree Council, Natural England and five local councils, testing and developing
innovative and sustainable new ways to increase tree cover outside woodlands. The
first phase has planted more than 121,000 trees and demonstrated ways to reduce costs
of establishment. Phase 2 will further research the effectiveness of tree planting
methods and approaches in non-woodland areas, so that more, healthier trees can be
planted in these areas in future. This work has informed the approaches funded through
Coronation Woods, announced to mark the King’s Coronation, which will see tree planting
in community orchards, small areas of woodland, and ‘tree handouts’ – supplying trees
to local residents to plant in areas of their choosing. The Trees Outside Woodland
project will evaluate the effectiveness of this scheme as part of its programme of
research.</p><p> </p><p>We are collaborating on the £15.6 million multidisciplinary
Future of UK Treescapes programme which is funding several projects investigating
Trees Outside of Woods. Separately, five of the tests and trials for our new environmental
land management schemes on farms are exploring approaches to agroforestry. This includes
the Organic Research Centre working with 250 farmers to look at the incentives and
advice required for farmers to incorporate agroforestry practices. Interim Findings
show that awareness is an issue and that incentives need to reflect the long-term
nature of the commitment.</p>
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