Traditional Orchards
With their large trees and wide spacing, old-fashioned orchards are fantastic but threatened habitat. We are replanting orchards where we know they have been lost from our land.
We use old maps to understand where orchards used to be, and where we could re-plant. 90% of traditional orchards have been lost from the English countryside since the 1950s. They are great for wildlife because the planting pattern creates a ‘mosaic in miniature’, with elements of woodland, hedgerow and meadow habitat. Fruit trees also age quickly, developing hollows, cracks and dead-wood that many species appreciate. The blossom and fruit provides an abundance of food for bees, birds, small mammals, and butterflies.
Orchard management
Our orchards are planted and managed using traditional methods, creating long-lived, wildlife-rich habitats that reflect the fruit-growing heritage of the High Weald. Trees are spaced widely to allow full crown development and are grafted onto vigorous rootstock, ensuring resilience and longevity. We prioritise local and heritage varieties, chosen for their ecological value, historical significance, and suitability to the landscape.
Old orchard trees are especially valuable for wildlife. Their mature structure, deadwood, and decaying bark provide nesting sites for birds, roosting spots for bats, and habitat for invertebrates. These trees also support fungi, lichens, and mosses, contributing to the orchard’s ecological richness and making them irreplaceable features in the landscape.
We harvest a selection of apples each year for juicing, but most are left to fall, providing a seasonal feast for wildlife, including birds, badgers, and invertebrates. This approach balances productivity with biodiversity, allowing the orchard to function as both a working landscape and a thriving habitat.
The orchards are grazed with our cattle and sheep, helping manage the grassland beneath the trees and encouraging wildflower growth. This low-intensity grazing supports pollinators, small mammals, and ground-nesting birds, while maintaining the traditional orchard structure.
