In 2021, the landowner at Ash Tree Farm set out to turn two hectares of species-poor horse pasture into a heritage orchard and species-rich grassland using voluntary biodiversity net gain payments generated by developments in the @Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire.
Traditional orchards are fantastic for wildlife because they contain a mosaic of different habitats: trees, hedgerows, and meadow grasslands. Having a variety of habitats creates lots of ecological ‘niches’ which can sustain lots of different types of wildlife (butterflies, bumblebees, birds, bats, and beetles to name a few). Since the 1950s, we have lost over 90% of these orchards across England and Wales.
BSG Ecology returned to Ash Tree Farm again this summer to see how the habitats were getting on. The results are in…
The fruit trees are healthy and will bear 114 different varieties of native fruit this year (some of which will be harvested but most left for the local wildlife). In the meadow, the average number of vascular plants per square metre has increased to 16.8, up from 6.1 when it was a horse paddock. We suspect the success of the wildflowers can be attributed to attentive management, the continued establishment of yellow rattle and the relatively low nutrient level of the soils that had not received artificial fertilisers for many years. It's encouraging to see this long-term habitat restoration project get off to such a strong start.
2021: Traditional orchard after planting.
2024: Traditional orchard and wildflower meadow three years on.
Some things this project has taught us so far:
🌼 If you notice some of the species you seeded haven’t germinated, be patient. They might pop up next year.
🌳 When planting trees, think about how you’re going to get water to them if they need it.
🐜 Consider leaving some areas untouched each year. This gives wildlife somewhere to go while the rest of the site is being managed.
Keep up the good work, Ash Tree Farm!