Horticulture
Hillier is the largest tree-growing nursery in the UK and is highly dependent on weather and climate conditions. The company, based in Hampshire in southern England, sells over 1 000 varieties of trees, shrubs and perennials, and at any one time has over 750 000 trees in production. It is a good example of a company in the horticultural sector improving its sustainability and making its operations resilient to climatic conditions.
Taking a long-term view and preparing for changing conditions is essential for the business, explains Hossein Arshadi, director of the amenity division in charge of production, sales, marketing and exports. The company has been taking steps to increase its resilience to changing climatic conditions and improve its sustainability for many years: “It’s an ongoing process for us,” he says.
“At the moment, we don’t know what the effects of climate change will be. We’ve seen over the last ten years how unpredictable conditions can be. Some summers have been drier, whilst others have been wetter,” he continues.
Water is a key factor for the horticulture sector, Arshadi explains, and with greater variability in its availability expected in future, the company has to be prepared for all eventualities. “As a business we have to hedge our bets and cater for the worst-case scenarios.”
“When we look at the availability of water in the long term in the UK, the predictions are that we might have heavier spells of rainfall. It seems likely that we will have flash floods more often but also longer dry periods in between,” he adds.
“We don’t know what the climate will do in the future, but we expect there will be more pressure on the availability of water,” he says. “We have to assume that at some times there will be less water available, so we need the capacity to water our own products.”
Water recycling
Since 1994, the company has been developing a system to recycle and store water for its container plants. All collectable ‘run-off’ water (rainfall and irrigation) at the 50-acre Hillier Container Nursery is recycled. A 3.8-million-gallon reservoir and water-filtration system ensures the water can be stored and reused, which means that the operation is virtually self-sufficient for water. “We used to use water from the mains water supply or drawn from a lake, but we have stopped that now,” says Arshadi.
Arshadi underlines the economic benefits of these measures: “These measures are not just environmentally beneficial – they also save the company over £100,000 per year.”
With the price of water rising every year, these savings can only grow, emphasises Arshadi, “although it’s not only about cost savings, but also about managing risk.”
The water-saving measures are being extended to the trees planted in the ground where the company is investing in drip-feed irrigation systems. “These deliver water to the root systems where it is needed, reducing the amount of water needed compared to overhead sprinklers where more water is lost,” he says, adding that they are also creating a system of drainage ditches to catch the run-off water and store it for use later.
Arshadi estimates that the pay-off for these types of investments can take between five and 10 years. “We make the calculations over the long term and if the costs are not ridiculous then we will make the investments if it means we are better prepared,” he adds.
Other efforts
The nursery is making other efforts to improve its sustainability, including reducing pesticide use. “We only use chemicals when we see there is a problem, not as a regular process. Over the last 20 years, the times we have had to spray the crops have decreased considerably.”
A key element has been to work with nature to improve resilience. “As a result of our husbandry efforts, wildlife has flourished with more birds and insects moving into the area,” he says. “This helps to achieve a natural balance and keep pests in check.”
Choosing which plant varieties to grow is also important. “We tend to see which varieties work and reduce the varieties which are susceptible to diseases such as mildew or to pests,” explains Arshadi.
Other efforts to help the business cope with changing conditions include covering empty growing areas with grass to reduce soil erosion. “We’ve used new soil techniques and our container trees are now 100% peat free, and we’re working to reduce use for plants, too,” he adds.
The role of plants in adaptation
Thinking of future conditions is not just important for Hillier, but also for its customers. The business often provides trees and plants for major landscaping projects and Arshadi advises his clients to adopt a long-term outlook, too. “I tell customers and growers to try and plant trees that are resilient to extreme conditions and not too sensitive to either wet or dry conditions.”
He underlines the importance of plants and trees in urban environments for regulating the climate, and the vital role that they can play in adaptation efforts.
The bigger picture
Changing climatic conditions should play a greater part in government planning decisions from the top down, says Arshadi. “Because of taller buildings and more roads in and around our major towns and cities, we have contributed to warmer micro-climates in these areas.”
These buildings and roads absorb the sun’s heat and then radiate it back into the air, he explains. “To counter this to a degree we need to have more large-canopy trees in our urban areas to create shade and reduce the warming effects of the sun’s rays on tarmac roads, as well as help to absorb CO2.”
He underlines the important role that governments, urban designers and city planners have to play in this area. “Governments have made some efforts to reduce CO2 emissions, and have been very quick to raise taxes on fuels and cars and other such measures. However, we haven’t seen this extra revenue re-invested yet in the greening of urban areas. I believe we need more action on adaptation,” he adds.
Hillier’s environmental measures are a good example of how to adapt to a changing climate and improve sustainability. Arshadi says other companies are now taking similar steps, but admits that “with the economic situation, it’s difficult for many in the sector to make the necessary investments in this area. They may need government support and incentives to make these long-term investments.”