Establishing an organic field scale forest nursery under Soil Association organic standards

为了让英国在2050年前走上净零的道路，气候变化委员会建议将英国林地覆盖率从目前占总土地覆盖率13%的水平增加到至少17%，甚至可能达到19%。19%的增长意味着额外的16亿棵树政府的树木行动潘2021-2024承诺在本届议会结束前将整个英国的植树率提高到每年3万公顷。出于公共健康和环境原因，用于控制杂草、疾病和昆虫的杀虫剂在英国持续面临被禁止的风险。到目前为止，英国通过进口前所未有的数量的树木和植物来满足需求。根据林地信托基金的数据，进口量从2016年的5200万GB增加到2020年的1亿GB，增幅为92%。但进口增长的轨迹与疾病的传播直接相关。自1990年以来，至少发生了20种严重的树木病虫害，造成数千万棵树木的损失。大多数都是由进口树木引进的。英国拥有世界上最适合培育幼树的气候之一。对新的森林苗圃技术和技术的投资将使他们能够种植满足种植目标所需的所有树木，同时创造就业机会。清理白蜡树枯萎造成的破坏估计将耗资150亿GB。这其中的一小部分可以刺激英国的森林苗圃在工业规模上生产多样化、健康的、本地的、地区性的树木。该项目将：*创建一个1公顷的森林苗圃，其中包括至少5棵树和树篱物种*评估太阳能作物设施技术的有效性*按照土壤协会的有机标准种植所有植物*评估发芽、植物健康、潜在产量和成本*评估有机批准的效益，生物土壤调理剂和种子处理*分析有机林木苗圃市场我们的目标不仅是提高我们自己农业业务的生产率和弹性，而且还展示和报告可以被整个英国地区的其他种植者复制的种植机会。研究结果将与英国现有的林业研究汇集在一起，以帮助在面对进口竞争加剧和化学植物保护产品数量减少的情况下为进一步增长奠定坚实的基础。

To place the UK on the path to Net Zero by 2050, the Committee on Climate Change recommends increasing UK woodland cover from its current level of 13% of total land cover to at least 17% and potentially 19%. A 19% increase means an extra 1.6 billion treesThe Government's Tree Action Pan 2021-2024 has committed to increasing tree planting rates across the UK to 30,000Ha per year by the end of this Parliament.For public health and environmental reasons, pesticides, that are used to control weeds, disease and insects are at continual risk of being banned in the UK.To date the UK is meeting demand by importing trees and plants in unprecendented quantities. According to The Woodland Trust, imports rose by 92% from £52 million in 2016 to £100 million in 2020\. But the increased trajectory of imports is directly associated with the spread of disease. At least 20 serious tree pests and diseases have arrived since 1990 resulting in the loss of tens of millions of trees. Most have been brought in by imported trees.The UK has one of the best climates in the world for raising young trees. Investment in new forest nursery techniques and technologies will equip them to grown all the trees needed to meet planting targets, while creating jobs. Clearing up the devastation caused by ash dieback will cost an estimated £15 billion. A fraction of that could galvanise UK forest nurseries into production of diverse, healthy, native, regional trees on an industrial scaleThis project will:* Create a 1Ha forest nursery incorporating a minimum 5 tree and hedging species* Assess the effectiveness of solar powered crop establishment technology* Grow all plants to Soil Association organic standards* Assess germination, plant health, potential yield and cost* Assess the benefits of organically approved, biobased soil conditioners and seed treatments* Analyse the organic forest nursery marketThe aim is to not only improve the productivity and resilience of our own farming business but also to demonstrate and report a cropping opportunity that can be replicated by other growers throughout the UK's regions.The results from the study will be pooled with existing UK forestry research to help to form a solid basis for further growth in the face of increased competition from imports and a decreasing number of chemical plant protective products.