BFS4: Protect in-field trees on arable land
What you must do to get paid for this action and advice on how to do it.
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
£553 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 arable land
- 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 dead or alive. 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:
- an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI scheme information) – at the start of this action’s duration, if the land type changes because of this action, it will not affect eligibility (for example, allowing scrub to develop)
- 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
| Eligible land type | Eligible land cover | Compatible land use code |
|---|---|---|
| Arable land used to grow crops | Arable land | Land use codes for arable crops or leguminous and nitrogen-fixing crops |
| Temporary grassland | Arable land | TG01 |
| Arable land lying fallow | Arable land | FA01 |
Eligibility of protected land
| Protected land | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) | Eligible – you must get SSSI consent before you do this action (read section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this) |
| Historic and archaeological features | Eligible – you must get a SFI HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.6 ’Land with historic or archaeological features’ in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this) |
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 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.
| Scheme | Action or option codes |
|---|---|
| SFI 2024 actions | OFC3, OFC4, OFM4, OFM5, PRF2, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1 |
| SFI 2023 actions | IPM1, NUM1, SAM1 |
| CS options | OR3, OR4, OT3, OT4 |
| ES options | No ES revenue options |
| SFI pilot standards | No area-based SFI pilot standards |
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.
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
Updates to this page
Last updated 5 August 2024 + show all updates
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Where you can do this action - an eligible land type is defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI scheme information. The land type needs to be eligible at the start of this action’s duration. If the land type changes because of this action, it will not affect eligibility (for example, allowing scrub to develop). Eligibility of protected land - updated link to section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information. What to do - updated wording about the tree’s diameter breast height (DBH) and its relationship to area per tree. Published voluntary advice to help you do this action, but it's not part of this action’s requirements.
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First published.