Duchy of Cornwall Tenant Farms: Reconnecting Farmed Landscapes Through Trees and Hedgerows

Burraton Farm: Reconnecting Lost Hedgerows

Burraton Farm was mainly a hedgerow creation and reconnection project.

The site had areas where hedgerows had been removed or broken up over time, leaving gaps in the farm’s habitat network. The job was to put those links back in, strengthening the field boundaries and giving wildlife better routes across the farm.

In total, just over 1.1km of new hedgerow was planted at Burraton, using 4,780 plants. The hedges were planted at 5 stems per metre in a W formation, which gives a better density and structure than a single straight line of whips.

Standards were included every 10 metres to create height, structure and different habitat opportunities within the hedgerow. Over time, these trees should give the hedges a much more varied form, with taller features for birds, insects and landscape character rather than a flat, uniform boundary.

The hedgerow plants were installed with biodegradable guards and stakes. The fencing had already been put in by other contractors, which made the planting more awkward in places. Working inside and alongside newly fenced corridors always slows things down, especially when materials, plants and mulch all need to be moved along long hedge lines.

The biggest job at Burraton, after the planting itself, was the mulch.

Before planting, the hedge lines were sprayed off to reduce grass competition. Once planted, we installed more than 50 tonnes of woodchip compost mulch along the new hedgerows. This mulch was supplied by us, reused from tree surgery work and composted down before being brought to site.

That was a serious logistical exercise. Moving and spreading that amount of woodchip across long hedge lines takes time, but it makes a real difference to establishment. It helps suppress grass regrowth, hold moisture, regulate soil temperature and give the young hedge plants a better chance of getting away.

Minard Farm: Planting Steep Marginal Ground

Minard Farm was a very different challenge.

The planting here included hedgerows, a block of woodland infill, open woodland pasture with cactus guards, and riparian planting in a wet valley bottom. The site was steep, cold and wet, with areas of heavy scrub including gorse, bramble and bracken.

Some of the planting areas could not be accessed properly until scrub clearance had taken place. We had to liaise with contractors who were cutting the gorse ahead of us, as well as fencing contractors who were setting out and protecting the planting areas.

That sequencing was important. On steep ground like Minard, the planting can only happen properly if the clearance, fencing and planting all move in the right order.

One of the main planting areas was 0.44ha and included 425 trees and shrubs. The canopy trees were planted in groups, with shrubs planted in smaller clusters and rows following the contours of the slope. Planting across contours was important because the site was steep, and the layout needed to work with the ground rather than fight against it.

A second area of open woodland pasture covered 0.9ha, with 29 trees planted in a loose grid pattern and protected with cactus guards. This style of planting creates individual trees within grazed or open land, rather than forming a dense woodland block. It gives future shade, shelter and habitat value while still keeping the character of open pasture.

The woodland infill and scrubland planting included native broadleaf species such as oak, field maple and cherry, supported by smaller shrubby species. The aim was to bring tree cover into marginal ground that was difficult to use productively, but valuable from a habitat point of view.

The conditions at Minard were hard. The ground was steep, wet and cold, and even our ATV got stuck. Moving materials, plants, guards and mulch around the site took real effort. It was one of those jobs where the planting plan looks clear on paper, but the ground reminds you very quickly that delivery is the hard part.

Working Across Two Tenant Farms

What made this programme important was not just the number of trees and hedges planted.

It was the coordination.

We were working for the Duchy of Cornwall, but also around tenant farmers, existing farm operations, fencing contractors, scrub clearance contractors and changing ground conditions. Each farm needed a slightly different approach, and the work had to be kept moving across several weeks without losing quality.

At Burraton, the main challenge was long hedge lines, fencing already in place, grass control and moving huge volumes of woodchip.

At Minard, the challenge was steep scrubland, difficult access, wet ground and working around other contractors.

Both sites needed practical decisions on the ground. Where to move materials. How to keep planting efficient. How to work inside fencing. How to protect young plants. How to sequence works with other contractors. How to deliver the Duchy’s aims without making the job harder for the tenant farmers.

That is often the difference between planting on paper and planting in real life.