In Shropshire, Mandy Stoker Jones and the team at Hilley Farm have converted four hectares of marginal ground into new woodland, planting trees in pockets unfit for arable or grazing and adding agroforestry rows alongside pasture. The approach keeps grassland productive while giving the herd reliable shade and shelter, and the woodland is registered under the UK Woodland Carbon Code.

Day to day, the change is practical as much as it is ecological. Cattle can cool under canopies on hot days, find lee during winter squalls, and keep grazing the open sward between tree lines. By planting into awkward corners and edges that delivered little return, the farm has traded low‑value acres for animal comfort and wildlife habitat without shrinking workable field area.

Registration with the Woodland Carbon Code gives the project independent oversight and transparent accounting. Projects are validated before issuing Pending Issuance Units, then checked at year five by a third‑party verifier to convert those units into guaranteed Woodland Carbon Units, with ongoing checks typically every ten years. A pooled buffer (20%) safeguards credits, and in June 2024 the code reported 78% of projects passing first verification; units can only compensate UK‑based emissions.

There is a strong welfare case for trees on farms. Peer‑reviewed research in a temperate feedlot found shaded cattle gained more when heat loads were high, while government guidance summarises that tree shelter can lift dairy output and reduce heat stress, foot problems and parasite exposure. In short, well‑sited shade improves comfort and stabilises performance.

Soils benefit too. Forestry Commission guidance highlights that silvoarable systems can be 10–40% more productive than monocultures, while trees in livestock systems improve infiltration and reduce compaction. Shelter belts can also help dry poached ground, lowering the risk of foot‑rot and cutting exposure to liver fluke in wet conditions.

Biodiversity gains arrive quickly when trees connect hedges, margins and ponds. The Woodland Trust estimates only around 3% of UK farmed land currently uses agroforestry, and modelling suggests expanding to 10% of arable and 30% of pasture would support climate and nature goals. Farmer‑led field labs run with the Soil Association are tracking outcomes for wildlife, soils and herd health to build practical evidence.

Water wins are being formalised as well. Forest Research and partners are developing a Woodland Water Code with calculators for water quality, flood mitigation and river shading, designed to align with the Woodland Carbon Code. Phase two runs to March 2026, helping farms evidence multiple benefits in one verified plan.

Thinking of doing the same? Start by mapping low‑yield corners, gateways and awkward edges. Under the Woodland Carbon Code, land must have been treeless for 25 years; projects begun after 1 May 2024 need at least one hectare, with woodland blocks of 0.1 hectares or more, minimum ten metres wide and stocked at 400 stems per hectare. You can manage credits through your own UK Land Carbon Registry account or work with a project developer. In England, new Sustainable Farming Incentive actions include options for agroforestry-public payments that can sit alongside private finance from carbon buyers.

For Hilley Farm, the move is both immediate and long‑term: calmer cattle today, richer habitats over the next decades and carbon units tracked to an agreed standard. As the family frames it, this is a legacy project-something future generations can enjoy and build on.