A PROJECT to plant thousands of trees on a county estate and create one of the largest 'agroforestry' systems in the UK has started.
Finchingfield's Spains Hall Estate is transforming an area of land the size of 370 football pitches by planting 10,000 nut and timber trees over the next five years.
This year, nearly 400 walnut trees and 1,200 oak trees will be planted as part of the programme.
Once the trees start to produce nuts, the crops will be harvested annually and processed into marketable products such as pressed nut oils and roasted nuts, which will be sold.
The nut trees will remain productive for up to 50 years, at which point they will be cut down and used for timber, and the process will start again.
Estate manager Archie Ruggles-Brise said: "The estate is moving some of our lands away from growing annual crops such as wheat and barley and towards an approach that seeks to produce food in greater harmony with the environment.
"We aim to establish one of the largest agroforestry systems in the UK – something we are very excited about."
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