Location: Stithians, Cornwall
Client: Private landowner / farmer
Funding: England Woodland Creation Offer
Services: Woodland creation, native tree planting, wet woodland planting, tree protection installation, planting layout and establishment
Project length: 2 weeks

Client Brief

West Trevales Farm was the first proper project delivered by THRC.

Looking back, it mattered to us because it was the first chance to prove that a small, newly formed team could deliver a funded woodland creation scheme properly. Not just turn up and plant trees, but plan the work, source the materials, manage the constraints, and finish within the planting season.

The brief was to supply and plant around 4,400 native mixed broadleaf trees across four separate fields on a farm near Stithians. The scheme was funded through the England Woodland Creation Offer and planted at a target density of 1,600 stems per hectare.

The planting was split between native woodland and wet woodland areas, with the species chosen to suit the different parts of the farm. The main woodland areas used species such as sessile oak, hornbeam, beech, silver birch, rowan, crab apple, field maple, wild cherry, wild service tree and small-leaved lime. In the wetter lower areas, species such as alder, goat willow, grey willow, hazel and elder were used.

That was an important part of the job. The right tree in the wrong place is still the wrong tree. The wet woodland species needed to go where the ground conditions suited them, while the main mixed broadleaf species were planted across the larger field areas.

THRC Solution

Planning Around the Site

There were several constraints that had to be worked into the planting layout.

High-voltage overhead power cables ran across the farm, with a strict 35m no-planting zone underneath. We marked out those exclusion areas ourselves before planting began.

The landowner also needed a 5m buffer around each field so tractors and machinery could continue to access the land. The trees were planted at 2.5m spacing, which also allowed future maintenance with the landowner’s 6ft mower.

Those details matter on farm planting schemes. A plan can look right on paper, but if the field cannot be accessed or maintained afterwards, the scheme quickly becomes a problem for the person who has to live with it.

 

Sourcing the Trees and Materials

We were responsible for sourcing the trees, guards, stakes and mulch mats.

The tree whips were grown just 12 miles from the farm, which was a nice detail for our first project. They were local, healthy and suited to the area, rather than being brought in from the other end of the country.

All trees were planted with 1.2m Tubex guards and pointed softwood stakes. The specification also included wool-based mulch mats fixed with bamboo pegs. The mats were a good use of sheep’s wool and helped insulate the base of each tree, suppress competition and reduce moisture loss during establishment.

For a newly established business, getting the supply side right was just as important as the planting. If the trees, stakes, guards or mats arrive late or wrong, the whole programme suffers.

 

Delivering Within the Planting Window

The project had to be completed before the end of the planting season, so we mobilised quickly and brought in extra staff to get the work done.

Charlie and Patrick led the project on site, organising the tree distribution, planting density, species placement and daily work areas. The team then worked through the fields, making sure the correct species were planted in the correct zones and that every tree was protected properly.

The conditions were not easy. There was rough ground, wet areas, exposed fields, difficult weather and the added pressure of this being our first project. But the team kept moving and delivered the scheme within the available window.

It was one of those jobs where there was no real shortcut. Thousands of trees, thousands of stakes, thousands of guards, thousands of mats. Just steady work, done properly.

End Result

The project was completed on time and within budget.

West Trevales Farm now has around 4,400 native broadleaf and wet woodland trees planted across large areas of the farm. The field buffers were retained, the powerline exclusion zones were kept clear, and the planting was laid out to allow future mowing and maintenance.

The new woodland planting helps connect isolated areas of woodland and existing hedgerow corridors across the farm. Over time, it should create a more varied woodland ecosystem, with mixed canopy trees, wet woodland areas, native shrubs and better habitat links through the landscape.

For THRC, this project was the starting point.

It showed that from the beginning, we could deliver funded woodland creation work with proper planning, local sourcing, site awareness and practical establishment thinking. It was not the biggest project we have done since, but it was the one that proved we were capable from the off.

 

Services Included

  • Woodland creation
  • EWCO-funded planting delivery
  • Native tree planting
  • Mixed broadleaf planting
  • Wet woodland planting
  • Riparian species planting
  • Farm tree planting
  • Tree supply and installation
  • Locally sourced tree stock
  • Species zoning by ground conditions
  • Powerline exclusion zone marking
  • Field access buffer planning
  • 1.2m tree guard installation
  • Softwood stake installation
  • Wool mulch mat installation
  • Bamboo peg installation
  • Planting density layout
  • Tree establishment planning
  • Farm habitat connectivity
  • Woodland corridor creation