In 2020 Terra Sulis has been working closely with Friends of the Earth and local community group Chew Valley Plants Trees on how to find the space to double woodland cover in the Chew Valley as a response to the Climate and Ecological Emergencies.
The green and pleasant Chew Valley actually has very little of what the Forestry Commission calls ‘woodland’. At just 7% it is well below the English and National averages of 10% and 13% respectively. However, we have found that there is more than enough space to double woodland cover without encroaching on arable land needed for food production or protected and priority habitats important for biodiversity.
As part of a joined-up plan we have created a parish atlas for each and every parish in the valley that outlines where to consider creating woodland. We have also thought about agroforestry and how trees could be incorporated into both arable and pasture systems and have made estimates of how much agroforestry each parish might accommodate. Each parish is different so the balance of woodland, silvopasture (trees with livestock) and silvoarable (trees with crops) will be different too.
To find out more about this work and to download parish maps please visit woodland.terrasulis.org
This work is being extended to all of England and Wales, so watch out for an update.
