April 28, 2009

Orchards could disappear by the 22nd century

Around the UK countryside you do not have travel very far to find a small traditional orchard, these can vary from a few trees to hundreds of trees, but no matter what the size is or location orchards both large and small are at risk.

It has been estimated that since the 1950’s around sixty per cent of the UK orchards have been turned over to property developers or into disappeared into farmland. Devon is estimated to have lost around ninety per cent of its orchards.

In an attempt to put a stop to this decline, Natural England and the National Trust have teamed up to launched a £500,000 scheme which will concentrate on reversing this trend. The scheme will last for your years and it is hoped will restore and map old and neglected orchards.

Source [Guardian]