Farmers in Dumfries and Galloway and Ayrshire, who are considering growing trees as part of their farming business, are being invited to a ‘Walking and Talking Trees’ event near Sanqhuar.  

The free event is part of the Integrating Trees Network, which is an initiative led by farmers, and supported by Scottish Forestry and the Scottish Government.

Farmer Andrew Whiteford of Burnfoot and Ulzieside farm near Sanqhuar, will be inviting other farmers to take a tour with him and discuss all the pros and cons of tree planting.

The event takes place on Wednesday 20^th July between 10am and 1pm.

Scottish Forestry’s forestry and farming development officer Lyn White said:

“Our Integrating Trees Network events have been very popular with farmers. They’ve been hosted online for the last 18 months  due to the pandemic, but we can now hold the events on the actual farms, which is great news.

“The beauty of these events is that there is no hard sell. Farmers can see and hear first-hand from others who have successfully grown trees to boost their business. They can also hear about the funding support available which can help them decide if tree planting is right for their farm.”

During the event, Mr Whiteford will introduce everyone to his hill beef and sheep farms. He will talk about his family’s new venture into woodland creation and forest infrastructure, right through to the Forestry Grant Scheme’s ‘Sheep and Trees’ grant.

Scottish Forestry will be on hand to discuss the different aspects of funding that is available and what steps are needed in starting out.

Anyone who wishes to book a place on the free event can do so here or through Eventbrite.

Find out more information about our hosts and up and coming events on the Integrating Trees Network, website.