Orchards vanishing from the landscape, says National Trust

Image source, Getty Images

According to research carried out by the National Trust, the landscape has lost an area the size of the Isle of Wight since 1900.

The organisation said that the disappearance of more than half of the orchards in England and Wales is having an impact on flora and fauna.

There are houses and farming in the area.

The south west has seen the biggest decline.

Annie Reilly of the National Trust said that many of the orchards which were once on the peripheries of our towns and cities in the 18th and 19th centuries have been lost with urban expansion.

Image source, Getty Images

Fruit trees are among the first to bloom in the British folklore and culture of springtime blossom.

Tom Dommett, head of historic environment at the trust, said that it matters for people to be able to enjoy the beauty of that burst of blossom in the spring.

Birds, flies, bees, and bats can be supported by traditional orchards. The bats and flowers both have a home in the knotted trunks and branches of the trees.

Artificial intelligence was used to analyse historic maps held by the National Library of Scotland.

According to the National Trust.

• Modern and traditional orchards across England and Wales have declined by 56%, with 43,017 hectares (106,297 acres) left growing today - equivalent to an area slightly larger than the Isle of Wight

• Traditional orchards in England and Wales have declined by 81% (78,874 hectares/194,902 acres)
• Kent is the English county with the highest total orchard cover today. Alongside Suffolk and East Sussex, it is one of only three English counties that has more orchards now than 100 years ago, due to more modern orchards being planted.

The National Trust wants to plant four million trees and establish 20 million trees across England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the year 2030.