Trees: the root to securing environmental support payments? 13 January 2021 | Planting trees has been linked to increased farming productivity Farmers and landowners are being urged to look into woodland planting as it could be the 'root' to securing environmental support payments. Trees have also been linked to increased agricultural productivity, according to SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC). As shelter for livestock, they can reduce incidence of mastitis in ewes and hypothermia in lambs. For arable farms, trees can reduce wind damage to crops. It was this unique mix of benefits that led John Lamont, a farm manager in Aberdeenshire, to plant over 11,000 broadleaved trees last year.