BFS5: Protect in-field trees on intensive grassland

This is an action in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme: expanded offer for 2024. You must read the SFI scheme information to understand the scheme rules and how to apply.

Duration

3 years

How much you’ll be paid

£295 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there’s an uncultivated, naturally regenerated grass buffer which:

• is around an in-field tree on grassland that’s managed intensively
• has minimal weeds and bare ground

The purpose of this is to:

• protect the tree roots from damage by agricultural cultivation
• retain the trees as important features in the local landscape
• provide standing and fallen deadwood habitats for invertebrates

Where you can do this action

To be eligible for this action, the tree can be alive or dead. It must:

• be in-field
• have a trunk that’s at least 30 centimetres (cm) diameter at around 1.5 metres (m) above ground level (also known as diameter breast height)
• not be part of a group or line of 4 or more trees with overlapping canopies

You can do this action on eligible trees on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:

• typically receiving at least 100 kilograms (kg) per ha per year of nitrogen – you must keep evidence of this
• an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI scheme information)
• registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
• declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover

Eligible land

Eligibility of protected land

Available area you can enter into this action

Part of the available area in a land parcel.

Rotational or static action

This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.

What to do

You must:

• allow a naturally regenerated grass buffer to establish around the in-field tree
• protect the tree from damage by livestock and wild animals
• make sure tree guards do not damage growing trees

The grass buffer area around the in-field tree must be wide enough that it can reasonably be expected to protect the tree’s roots.

The width that’s likely to achieve this will depend on the tree’s diameter breast height (DBH). This means the grass buffer around the in-field tree will usually be at least:

• 10m if the tree’s DBH is 30cm to 99cm – which means the area per tree will be 0.03ha
• 20m if the tree’s DBH is 100cm to 199cm – which means the area per tree will be 0.12ha
• 30m if the tree’s DBH is 200cm or more – which means the area per tree will be 0.28ha

Once the grass buffer is established, you must maintain it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

You must not:

• plough, cultivate, re-seed, harrow or roll
• apply any fertilisers, manures or lime
• apply pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, or nettles
• carry out supplementary feeding in a way that causes poaching on the grass buffer
• remove any tree limbs, including lower limbs or mature ivy growth

You can maintain an existing grass buffer around an in-field tree to get paid for this action if it:

• meets this action’s requirements
• is not already being paid for under another environmental land management scheme option, such as Countryside Stewardship option BE1 (protection of in-field trees on arable land)

When to do it

You must:

• establish the grass buffer within 12 months of this action’s start date
• maintain the grass buffer throughout each subsequent year of this action’s duration

How to do it

It’s up to you how you do this action, as long as you:

• follow this action’s requirements – these are identified by a ‘must’
• do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim

You may find it helpful to read the ‘advice to help you do this action’, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.

Evidence to keep

You must keep that land entered into this action is typically receiving at least 100kg per ha per year of nitrogen.

You must also keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:

• field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
• photographs or other documentation

If it’s not clear that you’ve done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, we may ask for this evidence. You must supply the evidence if we ask for it.

Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action

You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action. Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read ‘What to do’ and ‘When to do it’ to find out when this action must be done.

If an action or option cannot be located on the same area, you may be able to do it on a different area in the same land parcel. Read section 6. ‘Eligible land in other funding schemes’ in the SFI scheme information for more details.

You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:

• SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2 and WBD2
• SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
• CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
• the introductory level of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard

Advice to help you do this action

The following advice may help you to do this action, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.

Protecting the tree from livestock damage

You can protect the tree from livestock damage by:

• providing different shelter with water to attract animals away from trees
• fencing off trees to stop animals rubbing and stripping bark or trampling the base – you can place them at the edge of the area you enter into this action

Leaving fallen branches

If there are any fallen tree limbs (branches), this action requires you to not remove them from the area.

Dead wood can provide:

• sources of food and shelter for a wide range of wildlife
• nutrients to the soil as it decays

To benefit wildlife and help the wood decay, you can leave the fallen branches uncut and stack them in piles:

• in a mix of sunny and shady areas
• not too high, to stop the timber drying out
• with as much timber as possible in contact with the ground

[SFI]: Sustainable Farming Incentive [SSSIs]: sites of special scientific interest [SSSI]: site of special scientific interest [HEFER]: Historic Environment Farm Environment Record [DBH]: diameter breast height [CS]: Countryside Stewardship *[ES]: Environmental Stewardship