If you are a farm or landowner, you may be faced with making decisions about the future purpose of your land.

You might wonder about the practicalities, costs, and benefits involved. When considering the future of your land, it can be helpful to hear from others who have taken this step—what motivated them, how they approached it, and what benefits they have seen?

Grown in Britain spoke to Steve Goodey, owner of Willow Farm Wood, about his experience creating new woodland…

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Willow Farm Wood is located in the fenland area near the Cambridge and Norfolk border. Arable farming dominates, and tree cover is limited, so creating new woodland can significantly impact local biodiversity. However, choosing to change your land use comes with its challenges!

Steve’s four-hectare property had land traditionally used for hay production, which generated around £600 pa. However, the land required increasing inputs to maintain productivity, and Steve was looking for alternative solutions. Having already created ponds and wildflower meadows on the property, he was keen to further enhance the local environment—particularly in an area where semi-natural habitats are scarce. He had already made a start with environmental improvements, planting a hawthorn hedge and around 2,000 trees on the farm, but he wanted to do more.

Expert Providers are skilled forestry and land management professionals who help deliver sustainable projects funded by Grown in Britain and the Forest Canopy Foundation. By passing rigorous project delivery, skills, and safety checks, as well as an annual audit, they join a trusted network of professionals committed to sustainable land management.

BALANCING DECISIONS

Creating new woodland involves careful consideration of various factors. For Steve, this meant balancing his environmental aspirations with income considerations. Through guidance from Expert Provider Fraser Bradbury, Steve learned how the PIES project, lead by the Sylva Foundation in collaboration with The Forest Canopy Foundation and Grown in Britain and funded by the Government’s Trees Call to Action Fund, could help achieve both goals – enabling the family to become aware of the financial grants and other mechanisms that can support the potential long term land use change.

EXPERT SUPPORT

The PIES project was instrumental in turning Steve’s woodland creation ambitions into reality. Completed in January 2024, this new woodland builds on Steve’s previous environmental improvements. While the initial upfront costs were a consideration, the project provided crucial support, including expert guidance throughout the planning and planting process.

Expert Provider Fraser Bradbury played a key advisory and project management role, leveraging his knowledge and relationships to enable Steve to undertake this woodland creation initiative on his property. He helped develop an appropriate planting plan that would meet his needs and goals, and helped navigate the funding and grant application process through the PIES project.

The Forestry Commission then visited the site to look at it and approve the proposed tree planting plan, providing their expertise and guidance on things like the internal drainage and requirements for the fencing, while Grown in Britain provided support and guidance around the benefits of forest certification.

CREATING NEW HABITAT

The woodland created comprises 5,300 carefully selected native trees including:

• Pedunculate oak (40%): 2,120 trees
• Hornbeam (8%): 424 trees
• Common beech (7%): 371 trees
• Silver Birch (8%): 424 trees
• Common alder (7%): 371 trees
• Rowan (10%): 530 trees
• Hazel (10%): 530 trees
• Field maple (10%): 530 trees

MEASURING THE IMPACT

While the full biodiversity benefits will develop over decades, the project is already delivering significant environmental improvements:

• Carbon capture of approximately 12 tons per year
• Reduced chemical and pesticide inputs
• Enhanced habitat connectivity for local wildlife, including tawny owls, invertebrates, and fungi, and nesting sites for woodland birds and small mammals.
• Improved biodiversity in a nature-depleted landscape

As the woodland matures, it will provide an increasingly valuable habitat for wildlife, from ground-level fungi to canopy-dwelling birds. Future surveys will help quantify increases in species diversity, including lichens, invertebrates, and other woodland flora and fauna. Carbon capture can be monetised via the Woodland Carbon Code.

INSPIRING OTHERS

The creation of new woodland at Willow Farm Wood is already inspiring other local landowners to consider similar projects. It demonstrates how woodland creation can work alongside planning for the future, providing both environmental benefits and long-term financial returns. The project shows that with the right support and guidance, creating new woodland is an achievable goal for landowners looking to positively impact their local environment.

Says Steve ‘The PIES project was really the catalyst that made this additional woodland creation possible – particularly with the advice around obtaining funding for fencing and maintenance. The expert support from Fraser was incredibly helpful throughout the whole process and I am delighted to see already one year in the buds coming to life in our new woodland!’

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For more information about certification email: enquiries@growninbritain.org

HELPFUL RESOURCES

The Forestry Commission – Monitors and regulates woodlands and forestry. The Woodland Officers are a brilliant source of advice as well as grant support.

The PIES Project – Provided funding and expert support for tree planting projects and the management of existing woodland.

Expert Providers – Organisations experienced in woodland creation and management working under the Forest Canopy Foundation’s code of conduct and certified by Grown in Britain

Grown in Britain – Certification of projects, woodlands and forest product supply chains.