Langford Lakes has more than 30 acres of Christmas trees on a total acreage of 45 including mixed farm and woodland with four freshwater ponds.

Each year, we plant more than 7,000 young trees and harvest approximately 4,000 mature trees for selling. We sell less than we plant, as many trees fail or are damaged by aphids and birds. Whenever possible, these often-odd-looking trees are kept in the ground to provide habitats for nesting birds. We also keep them as tall as possible, so that birds can perch on them.

This mixed habitat offers a much-increased benefit compared to modern farming. It allows both local nature to thrive and benefits the globe by allowing natural carbon and methane capture. The 15 acres we do not plant upon is left as a habitat for wildlife, with little human intervention.

The trees are split across 10 or 11 plantations, providing a varying height and density habitats for wildlife. Last autumn, we started a trial to sow a mixed lay of clover and trefoil on one of our plantations. This provides a low-level habitat for invertebrates while also acting as a nitrogen fixing crop to naturally benefit our trees.

While this has decreased our reliance on herbicides, it has had an unforeseen downside. It caused a very low topsoil temperature during the mid-May frosts, which resulted in the damage of many young plants. We think that bare soil could have potentially captured more solar energy during the preceding day and reduced the effects of the overnight frost. Despite this, there is no doubt that the clover is providing a habitat for many insects including bees, flies, beetles and butterflies.