146-acre EWCO woodland at Brook Farm, Herefordshire
If you’re teaching climate action or studying business sustainability, Brook Farm in Herefordshire is a clear case you can take straight into class. Drawn from a UK Government case study, it shows how a company links tree planting to a carbon plan and turns policy jargon into something you can actually picture on the ground.
Kate Thorpe, from FW Thorpe PLC, describes a new woodland across 146 acres at Brook Farm. Funded through the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO), the project supports the firm’s carbon strategy and will plant 124,400 trees. The plan mixes broadleaf species with conifers and promises public access, help with flood prevention, a future source of timber and a lift for nature recovery.
What is EWCO, in plain English? It is a government grant scheme in England that helps landowners create new woodland by supporting the costs of establishment. In the Brook Farm case, the scheme provides the funding route, as set out in the UK Government’s own write-up. That’s the simple mechanism connecting a private carbon plan with public money for trees.
Why mix broadleaf and conifer? Diversity spreads risk and delivers different benefits over time. Conifers often establish quickly and can provide earlier timber; broadleaf trees tend to support a wider range of wildlife and give long-term structure. A mixed design is more likely to cope with pests, disease and extreme weather than a single-species block.
Offsets are part of the story. As the woodland grows, trees and soils store carbon, which FW Thorpe PLC plans to count against a portion of its emissions. It’s useful, but it isn’t a substitute for cutting pollution at source. In class, you can explore what share of emissions can be matched to the woodland and over what timeframe that storage is measured.
The case study also sets out co-benefits you can feel locally. Public access means people can use the site, which matters for wellbeing and accountability. Planting on this scale can slow water run-off and help reduce flood peaks downstream. Managed timber provides material for products and can contribute to long-term upkeep. More habitat means better chances for birds, insects and plants to recover.
For media literacy, read a corporate woodland claim the way you’d read an advert. Who pays and who decides? Who can visit and how will access be managed? What happens if storms, drought or disease hit the site? The UK Government case study gives the key numbers; your next step is to look for monitoring, maintenance and independent checking of the carbon figures.
If you’re planning a lesson, treat Brook Farm as a worked example: a company, a public grant, and a set of measurable promises-146 acres, 124,400 trees, public access, flood prevention, timber and nature recovery. That combination lets us practise climate maths and civic thinking at the same time: counting trees while also counting who benefits.