Forest Management

Timber Species

We have planted 190,000 trees, conifer and broadleaved.
The majority are conifer, as softwood timber is what the country needs.
We will start to thin in 15-20 years time.
The woodland will be managed by Continuous Cover Forestry. It will never be clear felled, but continually thinned and allowed to regenerate naturally.
Once in full production (in 60 years) Bonham Plain Wood will grow up to 1000 tonnes of timber a year.

Over the next 30 years this woodland will absorb at least 28,000 tonnes of CO2.
This may sound a lot, but at our current rate this is the amount of CO2 that 200 people will emit over that 30 years.
Tree planting does help, but it is only a small part of solving the climate crisis. Elsewhere on the estate we have:
- Improved house insulation.
- Installed air and ground source heating
- Increased biomass heating
- Added solar PV panels to houses and farm buildings
What could you do?

Rain falling here drains into the catchment of the river Stour.
These fields were formally managed as intensive arable farmland.
Application of organic and inorganic fertiliser leads to leaching of nutrients.
Raised levels of nutrients in the river system are harmful to invertebrates, and can cause algal blooms.
Trees require no fertilisation, and in time will lock up phosphorous.

Detailed survey work over two summers identified a high level of biodiversity in our existing conifer woodland managed under Continuous Cover Forestry.
It will take many years for Bonham Plain to reach this structure, but in the early years it will be a good habitat for voles, hence a great hunting ground for hawks and owls. At the moment skylarks seem to love it, which makes it a joy to work there.

26 bird species

128 plant species

13 bat species

248 moth species