Woodland Trust helps National Trust plant 70-acre wood on Wimpole Farm
Senior PR officer
Experts from the Woodland Trust have been helping the National Trust transform a working farm in Cambridgeshire into a haven for wildlife by planting more than 90,000 trees, including a new wood celebrating The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The National Trust’s 1,000-hectare Wimpole Estate has seen more than 120 hectares of trees planted, including 2,000 apple trees on arable fields, to create vital shelter for the Estate’s rare barbastelle bat population.
A new woodland of more than 70 acres was also planted to mark Elizabeth II’s historic jubilee year in 2022 as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) – a unique tree-planting initiative which is inviting people from across the UK to ‘Plant a Tree for the Jubilee’.
The wood is one of up to 70 Platinum Jubilee Woods the Woodland Trust is looking to create to boost its long-term mass-scale woodland creation aims and fight the climate and nature crisis.
Woodland Trust central England regional director Toby Bancroft said:
“The role woods and trees play as part of our response to both the climate and biodiversity crisis has never been more important. It has been fantastic to work with the National Trust at scale to create such a significant area for people and wildlife.”
As the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity, the Woodland Trust was one of several partners working with the National Trust to provide expertise in the design and management of the scheme on the Estate – one of its most popular visitor destinations in the East of England.
Woodland Trust outreach adviser Stuart Holm said:
“It’s been a great collaboration with the National Trust and a landscape changing project.
“We made sure the site’s important historic views were retained and vistas left open by designing low patches of planting that allowed uninterrupted views.
“Ecological reports meant some areas from the original plan were not planted to allow for species such as corn buntings.”
The ambitious project, which took less than 15 months to complete, was funded by £1.3 million investment and funding from the Government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund and HSBC UK.
Fourteen different species of native trees including oak, hornbeam, wild cherry, field maple and birch, plus 10 species of shrubs, were planted.
The rows of apple trees link two areas of well-established woodland to encourage the barbastelle bat population to travel safely, with cereal crops growing in between – an example of how agroforestry can have multiple benefits for farmers.
David Hassall, farm manager at Wimpole, said:
“The apple trees will provide food for pollinators, particularly bees when blossom emerges in the spring and the wildflower rich strips the trees are planted in will support a range of wildlife.”
One of the biggest challenges facing the estate is climate change and how to manage the land to help mitigate its effects, while increasing benefits for nature, and still running a profitable and productive business.
Project manager Jason Sellars said the tree planting “is the beginning of something exciting that will last for generations to come”.
He added:
“In stark contrast to our ancestors, we’re planting areas of woodland to capture carbon rather than to give us fuel, while also creating new habitats for wildlife.”
The Queen’s Green Canopy is encouraging everyone to play their part to enhance our environment by planting trees from October through to the end of the Jubilee year.
The Woodland Trust is a leading delivery partner of The Queen's Green Canopy. Schools and community groups are able to apply for up to three million free saplings in tree packs, through the free trees for schools and communities scheme.
If you would like to get involved in the Woodland Trust’s Platinum Jubilee Woods initiative, you can find out more by emailing QGCWoods@woodlandtrust.org.uk. Please send a brief description of the planned wood along with the location and a map.
Notes to editors
For more information please contact the Woodland Trust press office on 01476 602993, or email media@woodlandtrust.org.uk or owenphillips@woodlandtrust.org.uk
The Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK with more than 500,000 supporters. It wants to see a UK rich in native woods and trees for people and wildlife.
The Trust has three key aims:
- protect ancient woodland, which is rare, unique and irreplaceable
- restoration of damaged ancient woodland, bringing precious pieces of our natural history back to life
- establish native trees and woods with the aim of creating resilient landscapes for people and wildlife.
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 29,000 hectares. Access to its woods is free so everyone can benefit from woods and trees.
Free trees for schools and communities
The Woodland Trust is giving away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities to make sure everybody in the UK has the chance to plant a tree. To apply, or see terms and conditions, visit: www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/schools-and-communities/
The free tree packs have been generously funded by lead partners: Sainsbury’s, OVO Energy, DFS, players of People’s Postcode Lottery, Joules, Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Bank and Sofology.
Platinum Jubilee Woods will be registered on the online Queen’s Green Canopy map and landowners can mark the site with a special QGC plaque. New plantings may also be eligible for the Trust’s woodland carbon scheme and associated financial support.
The Queen’s Green Canopy
The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 which invites people from across the United Kingdom to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”.
Everyone from individuals to Scout and Girlguiding groups, villages, cities, counties, schools and corporates will be encouraged to play their part to enhance our environment by planting trees during the official planting season between October and March. Tree planting will commence again in October 2022, through to the end of the Jubilee year.
With a focus on planting sustainably, the QGC will encourage tree planting to create a legacy in honour of The Queen’s leadership of the nation, which will benefit future generations. As well as inviting the planting of new trees, The Queen’s Green Canopy will dedicate a network of 70 ancient woodlands across the United Kingdom and identify 70 ancient trees to celebrate Her Majesty’s 70 years of service.
About the National Trust
The National Trust is a conservation charity founded in 1895 by three people: Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley, who saw the importance of the nation's heritage and open spaces and wanted to preserve them for everyone to enjoy. Today, across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it continues to look after places so people and nature can thrive.
Entirely independent of Government, the National Trust looks after more than 250,000 hectares of countryside, 780 miles of coastline and 500 historic properties, gardens and nature reserves.
The National Trust is for everyone - founded for the benefit of the whole nation. It receives on average more than 26.9 million visits each year to the places it cares for that have an entry fee, and an estimated 100m visits to the outdoor places that are free of charge. Paying visitors, together with 5.6 million members and more than 53,000 volunteers support its work to care for nature, beauty, history. For everyone, for ever.