PLANTING PORTFOLIO

More than ever before, we are all now aware of the devastating impact of pollution on our planet. There is a need for soil, trees and plants to filter air pollution and store carbon as well as providing life to the world’s wildlife.

It’s critical that woodlands, forests and trees are enhanced, preserved and sustainably managed.

The Estate consists of approx. 260acres of woodlands and follows a professional woodland management plan with the environment and sustainability at its heart.

We continue to plant new trees; our attempt to enhance the countryside and positively encourage biodiversity. It is our mission to plant more new trees than those we lose to disease and environmental factors, increasing our tree canopy and carbon sequestration as well as preserving the landscape and providing wldlife habits and connectivity.

Our aim is to plant UK grown trees and species that encourage biodiversity. Our hedging follows a rule, set by Natural England and consists of 80% hawthorn Crataegus monogyna and 20% being made up of mixed species including, field maple, dog wood, hazel, midland hawthorn, spindle, wild privet, blackthorn and purging buckthorn.

Our planting schedule (since 2009) can be viewed HERE and to date the number of new trees planted is 12,727, and new hedging planted to date is 23,688

February 2025 was the start of a new and interesting project for Alscot. We are creating a cricket bat willow nursery bed using Tods that have been cut from mature cricket bat willow trees grown on the Estate.

The intention being to create a nursery bed that will provide the Estate with its own supply of Sets (young cricket bat willow trees) every 4 years, that can be planted across the Estate.

Once planted, these Sets will take around 15 years to reach maturity before being harvested for cricket bat clefts, where each tree will then be replaced with another Set grown from the nursery bed on the Estate.

We are in the first stage of the project, starting with 800 Tods, and intend to grow the nursery bed year on year.