Integrating trees into farmland through agroforestry creates habitat and welfare benefits for wildlife while maintaining agricultural productivity.
Farmland wildlife that depends on trees faces welfare impacts from habitat loss through tree removal. Barn owls lose hunting habitat when mature tree pollards that provide nest sites are removed. Bats lose roost sites when old trees with cavities are felled. Farmland birds that require trees for song posts, nesting, and winter food lose these resources when field trees are absent. The welfare benefits of agroforestry extend to farmed animals through shade provision that reduces heat stress in livestock. Integrating trees into farms at scale through agri-environment payments creates wildlife habitat while maintaining productive agriculture, directly improving conditions for resident wildlife populations.