Sir, – More of us need to speak up for farming and nature in the Scottish Government's push for trees.

It's not the trees that are the problem. It's how they are allowed to be planted. Just as cows are not the problem when it comes to global warming ... It's how they are farmed.

So it is with trees. Under the current approval regime, more than 90% of the area of a new plantation can be planted with conifers. That needs to be reduced to leave room for farming and for broadleaved trees, both of which can be as good for global warming and better for nature than blanket conifers.

That's because very little lives under a conifer plantation once the canopy closes over and the light is shut out.

The Nature Friendly Farming Network will be lobbying the Scottish Government to get that message across. The more support we have for that, the better.

Michael Clarke

Scotland Chair,

Nature Friendly Farming Network.