Tme is the one factor that most clearly distinguishes tree growing from all other agricultural pursuits. By their very nature, trees and the rewards they provide are slow to develop, Indeed, the time to maturity is arguably the single biggest factor limiting farmer investment in new forests. It is now 20 years since 1 planted the first trees on my own farm. As I trudged through the early spring mud with a small tree in my hand 1 was no doubt thinking, dreaming, of a large tree, of a changed landscapeand the timber, fruits or other products that tree might provide... one day That dream has, for some of my trees, come true. I have made furniture and renovated using the wood of trees I planted. I am now selling timber to furniture makers and buildersseeking alternatives to native forest timbers and pine. And, our farm has changed, there is now more shelter, more biodiversity, less erosion and, we think, a better feel to the landscape.
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