This study explores the experiences of upland farmers in mid-Wales who have established woodland on their farms, alongside insights from forestry advisers working with farming businesses across Wales. It examines the motivations, challenges and opportunities associated with integrating trees into farm businesses.
Summary
This report brings together perspectives from farmers who have already established woodland on their farms with insights from advisers working across agricultural landscapes in Wales. These farmers represent early adopters of woodland creation, providing valuable insight into how trees can be successfully integrated into farm businesses in practice.
Conducted primarily in upland Less Favoured Areas in mid-Wales, the study explores why farmers choose to integrate trees into their farm businesses, the challenges they encounter, and the opportunities woodland can provide.
Farmers involved in the study were positive about woodland where it delivered clear practical and financial benefits. These included farm diversification, improved business resilience, woodland establishment grants, shelter for livestock, and potential long-term timber income. Several farmers highlighted the value of being able to carry out woodland establishment and management work themselves using existing farm skills and machinery.
Both farmers and advisers recognised the potential for farm woodlands to contribute to more resilient farm businesses and to future Welsh timber supply chains. However, the research also identified barriers that can discourage wider uptake, including complex regulatory processes, lengthy approval timelines, prescriptive scheme requirements, and concerns about the loss of productive agricultural land.
The study also highlighted differences in emphasis between farmers and advisers. While advisers often referred to opportunities associated with carbon markets, most farmers prioritised practical farm business considerations such as long-term financial stability, timber production, and making productive use of land that is less suited to agriculture. Farmers also noted that woodland creation is frequently communicated through environmental narratives, with less emphasis on its potential role as a productive crop within the farm business.
Overall, the findings highlight the importance of trusted relationships, practical communication and farmer-led examples when encouraging woodland creation. These insights provide practical lessons for farmers who may be considering woodland creation as part of their farm business in the future.
Key recommendations
- Greater flexibility in woodland creation schemes
- Stronger peer-to-peer learning from farmers who have already established woodland
- Better communication presenting farm woodland as a productive crop through trusted farming networks and platforms
- Clearer links between farm woodlands and local timber supply chains
- Reduced bureaucracy and more farmer-led approaches.
The experiences of these early adopter farmers provide practical insight into how woodland creation can support both resilient farm businesses and the wider ambitions of Wales’ Timber Industrial Strategy.
