EWCO woodland at Brook Farm: carbon strategy guide

Picture a new wood taking shape in Herefordshire. At Brook Farm, a 146-acre project backed by FW Thorpe PLC is being planted to support the company’s carbon strategy. According to a UK Government case study, Kate Thorpe explains that the plan will establish 124,400 mixed broadleaf and conifer trees, funded through the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO).

If you are new to EWCO, think of it as a Forestry Commission grant that helps landowners create woodland in England. It pays towards planting and early care, with extra contributions when designs deliver public benefits such as nature recovery, public access, flood risk reduction and cleaner water. That public money expects public value in return.

Why would a business plant a wood? A credible carbon strategy starts by cutting emissions from energy, travel and supply chains. When a footprint remains, investing in well-designed nature projects can balance part of it while improving places for people and wildlife. What it means for you: when you see a “carbon neutral” claim, check that emissions cuts come first and any nature finance comes after.

What will be planted at Brook Farm? A mixed design blends broadleaf species, which support rich wildlife and store carbon for the long term, with conifers, which grow faster early on and can provide timber sooner. Mixing species spreads risk from pests, disease and extreme weather, so the woodland is more likely to thrive over decades.

Public access is part of the Brook Farm plan. That matters because a woodland only becomes real for a community when people can safely walk it, learn in it and care about it. For teachers, this turns climate policy into a place: you can measure sapling growth, compare leaf shapes, map habitats and talk to foresters about how decisions are made.

Trees help with flooding by slowing rain, storing water in soils and releasing it more steadily to streams. In farmed catchments this can reduce peak flows after heavy rain and hold back sediment. That is why EWCO rewards designs that reduce flood risk and protect water quality-benefits you feel well beyond the boundary of the site.

Timber is part of the story too. Sustainable woodland management harvests some trees and replants. Done well, this supports local jobs, replaces more carbon-intensive materials in buildings and products, and leaves a varied structure that can suit different birds, bats and insects. The Brook Farm design aims to provide a future source of timber alongside habitats.

Nature recovery is built in when edges, open rides, ponds and deadwood are planned from the start. Young woods can be busy with life if light and shade vary and if trees link to hedgerows and streams. Over time these links create corridors so species can move as the climate changes. That is how a planting plan becomes a living network.

Let’s keep the carbon talk careful. Trees store carbon slowly and over long periods, so projects must plan for decades, protect the site and monitor progress. In the UK many woodland projects use independent standards, such as the Woodland Carbon Code, so claims are measured and verified. Offsetting should complement-not replace-deep cuts to emissions.

Grants like EWCO are often combined with private finance, including the sale of verified carbon units, to cover costs of planting and maintenance. This blend means landowners are not expected to shoulder the full bill, and the public benefits-access, flood risk work and wildlife-are written into the design from day one.

As informed citizens and students, ask three simple questions of any carbon woodland: would it have happened without the funding; will it last and be looked after; and does it deliver value beyond carbon, like access and nature recovery? The Brook Farm case study answers these with a clear focus on public access and multiple environmental aims.

Key facts you can teach with: 146 acres at Brook Farm; 124,400 trees; a mixed broadleaf-conifer design; funding via EWCO; goals that combine balancing business emissions with public access, flood reduction, timber and nature recovery. If you live nearby, this is one to visit over years and watch as the plan becomes a place.