Protecting and Expanding Tree Cover on Ontario Farmland: Farmer-Reported Barriers and Recommended Solutions

Trees on farmlands provide a host of environmental benefits, yet in Ontario, tree cover is often under pressure for removal and barriers hinder the planting of new trees. We report on 35 semi-structured interviews conducted with Ontario farmers and agricultural professionals that solicited information about attitudes and behaviours towards tree cover, how social norms and neighbors' views toward tree cover on farms are perceived, and what are the perceived barriers to tree retention and planting. While farmers recognized the ecological benefits of trees, their decision-making was dominated by farm revenue and operational fit. The most frequently cited barriers to increasing tree cover were opportunity costs of land and perceived revenue loss; incompatibility of trees with large machinery and field geometry; administrative burden and misaligned timelines associated with funding opportunities and similarly labour/time constraints for multi-year establishment and maintenance requirements. Recommendations, based on interviewees, experience, and literature suggest the following as opportunities to increase tree cover on agricultural lands: single-window intake with concierge (i.e., highly personalized) services; payments for conservation alongside new plantings; inclusion of revenue-generating species in funding programs; multi-year maintenance support tied to survival; equipment-compatible layouts prioritizing edges and marginal acres; and pragmatic decision-support and monitoring.