Trees For Health, Beeson

Trees for Health is a not for profit organisation based in South Devon, aiming to help foster healthy communities and healthy ecosystems by revitalising our use and knowledge of woodland.

Contact : Liz Turner

Email info@treesforhealth.org

Website: www.treesforhealth.org

Aims

We aim to:

• provide an educational example of how to grow food in a  sustainable manner using agroforestry principles
• provide food for nearby villages and towns, thereby improving social cohesion, increasing food security, reducing food miles and contributing to the local economy
• Provide local people with opportunities toi access the countryside, learn practical skills, participate in physical activities and access employment opportunities on the farm
• create an ecologically diverse and healthy food system within the agricultural landscape including enhancing wildlife habitats on the farm
• Become economically sustainable in the long term

Latest News- Visit to Wakelyns Farm 23rd July 2012

Mike Rogers & Liz Turner from Underwood Discovery Centre visited Wakelyns Farm, Suffolk on 23 July for the day. They were given a tour & guide by Martin Wolfe.

The day was very interesting and inspirational. We found Martin Wolfe a wealth of knowledge and the depth & complexity of the discussion increased as the day progressed. We were introduced to most of the alley cropping systems on the farm, with a description of what was being grown in the tree rows and the cropping alleys. We learnt about interactions, crop rotations, the effects of tree rows on crops, purposes/uses of trees, nutrient cycling, polycultures and research into breeding total ‘populations’ of grains.

The aspects we took away from the visit that we will put into practice include the following:

• We must work within our resources and be pragmatic by including the use of machinery in managing the alleys and by keeping the rotation as simple as possible. Wakelyns utilise just 3 types of crop (grains, potatoes, ley) in their alleys. Although planting many grains has been interesting in the first year and we will review the success of this, until we have greater human and financial resources, we plan also to simplify our rotation to crops that will bring in income and that can be managed with the tractor, i.e. 1 crop per alley (2 if it is a ‘mixture’ that works together).
• A large proportion of the alley trees at Wakelyns were the same species for fuel for a woodchip boiler that heats water for central heating in the house on site. Although we would consider extending alley cropping to other fields in the future, we would need to establish a good market for tree products first. Mike coppices hedge trees here for fuel & we do not have a wood chip boiler, which we believe are expensive. We would be interested in growing wood for craft and more food, once the first field is financially viable and there is sufficient demand for more. We are more interested in the mixed arrangement of tree species we saw for diversity.
• Develop an understorey of woodland species in the alleys, similar to those found in a ‘woodland edge’.
• Consider planting mixtures & ‘populations’ of crops, i.e. wheat and beans for the beneficial interactions.
• Try to source perennial grain seed for our perennial growing area.
• Go & train as an agroforestry adviser, course 20 Sept in Cambridge. This would extend our income generating capacity.
• Continue adding ‘commercial’ trees into existing hedges on farm – i.e. apple & others for fruit & ash/other coppice trees for wood.