More about the Environment Baselining Pilot

The first phase was to collect data to estimate above- and below-ground carbon stocks in trees and hedges, as well as their roots. It began in December 2024, with specialist contractor Bluesky carrying out light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scans via planes and drones over a four-month period whilst the leaves were off the trees.

Aerial LiDAR scanning uses laser technology to measure the height of the terrain and any above-ground features, such as hedges and trees, and is far more accurate than satellite scans.  

Trinity Agtech then ran this LiDAR data through specialist software to build a 3D model for each farm. This interactive image identifies objects like buildings, field boundaries and woody biomass – giving precise heights, widths and densities of vegetation.

When combined with information from satellite imaging and species identification, the software can calculate the amount of carbon stored across the farm’s woody biomass and identify which areas are the key carbon stores.

Figure 1: Example of how carbon stocks in woody biomass are mapped 

Figure 2: Example of how areas of run-off risk are identified

The results provide a map with ground features and terrain which can be combined with data to identify areas at risk of run-off and guide decisions on reducing soil erosion, buffer zones, drainage plans or nutrient planning to cut pollution risks.

The maps can also highlight where gaps in hedgerows, scrub or tree cover could be connected to create wildlife corridors and larger habitats, greatly enhancing their value.

The second phase of measurements began in January 2025. Specialists Agricarbon used vehicle-mounted core samplers and took soil cores from various depths down to 1 metre, or the C horizon.

This enabled a better understanding of where soil organic carbon is stored and allows the impact of cropping and management practices to be tracked with subsequent sampling.

In less accessible areas like woodland, marshes and dense vegetation, hand corers were used to depths up to 60 cm.

Nutrient sampling was also carried out around the cores and the results were GPS mapped to allow samples to be taken from the same point when remeasurements take place at a later date.

Figure 3. A vehicle-mounted core sampler

This third phase began in June 2025.

Each farm had a carbon audit to assess greenhouse gases emissions and estimate carbon sequestration/removals.  The balance between these two metrics will provide an estimated net carbon position for the farm. 

Audits are being undertaken in years one, three and five of the pilot using Agrecalc, supported by consultants from ADAS or SAC Consulting to ensure accuracy and consistency.  

Farmers develop and agree an action plan based on their results in years one and three outlining steps they can take to improve the environmental sustainability of their farms. This will be reviewed as the pilot progresses.