Project Background

The land on which the woodland is planted has been managed and farmed by the same family of tenant farmers for over 100 years. The current incumbent, being a secured (and therefore heritable) tenant, inherited the farm from his father who had also taken the reins from his father before him.

Farming is experiencing significant change. Sheep and cattle prices are declining and traditional farm subsidies, such as the Basic Payment Scheme, are being replaced by the Sustainable Farming Incentive, encouraging farming practices which improve water quality, wildlife, climate change mitigation and air quality. The conventional forms of farm income are therefore declining.

Meantime, the farmer wants to ensure the farm offers a viable livelihood for the next generation. As a result, they are considering new, forward thinking uses for their land and woodland creation, which sequesters carbon and enhances biodiversity, is one such example.

The family has allocated 44 hectares of land towards establishing a native mixed woodland. This uses the less productive land situated up the hill from the main farm and
helps restore an area of ground whose ecology has been damaged by heavy sheep grazing in recent decades.

By planting a portion of the land with trees and substituting livestock sales for woodland-generated carbon income, the family are striking a healthy balance between producing the
food we eat while enhancing the nature and wildlife in our countryside. In so doing, they are setting an example for farmers across the UK to follow.

The Planting Scheme

The woodland comprises a balanced mix of Scots pine (19% of the total area), birch (20%), rowan (32%), hazel (5%), alder (32%), and willow (9%). The alder and willow are well suited to the damper areas of ground, especially at the site’s northern end. The Scots pine, being native to the area, is amply equipped to withstand the bitter climate.

The land is rugged and the climate around the project is harsh. As a result, Tilhill’s forest manager, who designed and planted the project, chose species which, being native to Argyllshire, are well equipped to survive the cold winters, wet summers and biting winds. Trees were also planted in wide spacings from each other so that, as they grow, they develop a natural resistance to these conditions.

The Evolution of a Natural Ecosystem

The restoration of woodland on open grazed landscapes will assist in the recovery of a more natural ecosystem, providing cover and prey for a variety of species. The mix of varying densities of alder, willow, hazel and Scots pine, combined with recovery of the ground vegetation will provide shelter and food for insects and other invertebrates, which will then attract other species of birds and mammals, thus starting the process of rewilding in its broadest sense.

Carbon Sequestration

The farmer is selling 5,183 PIUs from the project, representing exactly 50% of the carbon the project is expected to sequester over the next 100 years. The table below details the timeline when these PIUs are expected to be verified as Woodland Carbon Units i.e. the carbon is expected to be sequestered. By then, the woodland will have matured into an attractive and mature mixed woodland, similar to the scenery shown on the header image.