Matt Helliwell on the ukcider email discussion group pointed us to an interesting article on the BBC website about the National Trust campaign to retain what’s left of the country’s traditional orchards.
Orchard losses ‘threaten species’
Traditional fruit orchards are vanishing from England’s landscape – with serious consequences for wildlife, conservationists have warned.
The National Trust says 60% have disappeared since the 1950s, putting local varieties of apples, cherries, pears, plums and damsons under threat. It is launching a £536,000 drive to reverse the decline of the orchards. Their trees provide important habitats for species such as the noble chafer beetle and lesser spotted woodpecker.
The orchards – some with as few as five trees – also offer sources of pollen and nectar to bees, which are thought to be declining partly because of a lack of suitable food. Pressure from commercial fruit growers has led many small-scale producers to develop their orchards or convert them to other uses.
