CARBON AWARE PRODUCTIONS
CARBON AWARE PRODUCTIONS
CAP
PLANTING PROJECTS
CAP Tree Planting 2024
REIMAGINING
THE SOMERSET LEVELS
The devastating effects of floods in Somerset in 2013/14 inspired local group, Reimagining the Levels, to take action and plant trees and hedgerows throughout the area. They have succeeded in getting well over 90,000 trees planted since, helping to break up flood water and slowly channel it underground. The positive effects on habitat for wildlife, increased biodiversity and carbon sequestration also motivates them.
Somerset has some of the lowest tree cover in the UK (6%), well below the national average (12%). CAP is incredibly pleased to be working with RtL to boost that figure & help fund numerous tree and hedge planting projects at a local level. Funding this group means giving individual people living in vulnerable areas the opportunity to protect their homes and re-wild their landscapes. It is one of the most gratifying projects we have partnered yet.
Flooding on Somerset Levels
CAP Tree Planting March 2024
HEDGE TREES IN SOMERSET
The Geranium Trust is a charity that provides a safe haven for anyone experiencing bereavement, isolation, loneliness or abuse in Yeovil. It is a 26 acre site set in the middle of the town, owned by a lovely gentlemen called Paul who has committed to turning the land into a thriving natural environment. Paul and his team welcome people who need to access a bit of peace & friendship by hosting lunches, tea parties, social groups, and importantly, gardening clubs.
Planting trees at the site has been a priority and on March 3rd the team, assisted by volunteers from Reimagining the
Levels, planted 1300 wildlife alluring hedge trees to make 300 metres of hedging.
Since the Second World War Britain has lost 50% of its hedges, and of those that remain 60% are poorly managed by being cut too often and too severely. They are an invaluable haven for insects & birds and form the corridors needed to give our wildlife cover and space.
This project was largely funded by Stink Films. Superstars.
Somerset Hedgerow
CAP Tree Planting March 2024
TEMPERATE RAINFOREST IN EXMOOR
In early March 2024, 1600 CAP trees we planted in the rare and unique TEMPERATE RAINFOREST in Exmoor National Park. This tiny refuge of woodland is called rainforest because it is located in the region's hyperoceanic climatic zone. This is an area that receives high rainfall & has relatively mild, year-round temperatures that provide the perfect humid conditions for a diverse range of wildlife. Intriguing and rare plants, including ancient ferns, lichens,
liverworts and mosses thrive there, growing on trees, boulders, around streams & on the ground.
The team at Exmoor National Park are carefully increasing tree cover in this zone. We're chuffed to have been able to support this; temperate rainforest is Europe’s equivalent to the Amazon Rainforest... there's a lot to love about it.
Temperate Rainforest in Exmoor
CAP Kelp Planting 2023 - 2024
PLANTING KELP FORESTS IN THE SEA
We have now funded a new project that we're excited about - KELP FORESTS in Portugal. The project is being run by our planting partners at Mossy Earth who, in conjunction with marine groups, are using a system of kelp growing called GREEN GRAVEL. It involves seeding pebbles with kelp in trays in optimal conditions in a lab and then, once established, popping them in to the ocean in kelp friendly environments to grow.
Three batches of approx 80 trays of green gravel have been popped into the water since July and the young
plants doing well. The next batch will be planted in April 2024. Each tray has covered approx 50 square meters of the ocean floor.
Kelp grows quickly which is why people are excited about its carbon sequestering potential. The science however is not developed enough to guarantee locking away X amount of Co2. So when you fund kelp forests through CAP it would be as “a production’s investment into marine biodiversity”, it would not be to “acknowledge the production’s unavoidable carbon emissions”.
Kelp Planting in Portugal
CAP Tree Planting Feb 2023
PLANTING AT THE FOREST OF MARSTON VALE IN BEDFORDSHIRE
On Thursday 9 Feb 2023 our fantastic tree planning partners at the Forest of Marston Vale planted 2000 CAP trees at their site in Bedfordshire.
It was a sunny day and the planting team did a fantastic job. I’m chuffed to say that, thanks to CAP's supporters, we have now funded the planting of over 6500 trees at The Forest. It’s a small but significant contribution to their planting programme which hopes to hit 5 million trees eventually!
The Forest is made up of 13 Community Woodlands (details can be found below) and last year it received the prestigious Green Flag Award for its flagship site, the Millennium Country Park. It’s the sixteenth consecutive Green Flag award won by the site, recognising the Park for its high standard of horticulture, safety and environmental management.
The communities throughout the 61 square mile forest area continue to benefit from the 2 million + trees that have now been planted, enjoying the woodlands together with the local wildlife that now thrives there.
Marston Forest Planting
CAP Tree Planting Nov 2022
FOOD FORESTS IN SOMERSET
During the Autumn 2022 we were excited to partner some of the country’s leading tree specialists in a project to plant Food Forests in the UK.
The team at Tree Source have a plan. They are planting food forests on farmland with a patchwork of locally adapted trees and plants that not only include native species such as oak, beech, hornbeam & fertility enhancing alder, but also smaller fruiting trees, nut trees & medicinal plants. Their planting designs nurture the underground mycorrhizal fungal networks that are now known to support tree growth, health and vitality, and they encourage space for biodiversity to thrive.
Food forests are an ancient form of farming practiced all over the world which has been all but forgotten in Britain.
They are a multi functional way to not only draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere but also to re-imagine trees as a productive part of agriculture providing food, fertility and medicines as well as contributing to soil retention and natural flood management. And on top of this, the multi-layered and species diverse planting designs mean that this type of woodland will have the best chance of withstanding the challenges of the changing climate.
Tree Source look for corporate partners to not only fund the planting, but also to be a physical part of it, enjoying the land on scheduled open days & harvesting it when the time comes. Thanks to a fantastic donation from Stink Films, CAP & a the Tree Source team planted 1118 trees in November 2022 on 14 hectares of stunning farmland at the new Tree Source nursery outside Bath.
Food Forest Planting
CAP Tree Planting
Autumn 2022 - 2023
RIVERSIDE PLANTING IN SCOTLAND
Thanks to CAP's awesome clients, a whopping 10,780 trees have been planted from Oct 2022 to Oct 2023 in two locations. The first is the beautiful Kyle of Sutherland catchment in Scotland, the second is in the Cairngorms National Park.
The planting has been overseen by our planting partners at Mossy Earth and has again been focused on riparian (riverside) planting with a view to protecting rivers in Scotland. See below (Autumn 2021 planting) for more detail.
Riiparian Planting Zone
CAP Tree Planting Feb 2022
PUTTING THE FOREST BACK INTO MARSTON VALE IN BEDFORDSHIRE
We are delighted to say that 4500 CAP trees were planted 6th Feb 2022 at the Forest of Marston Vale in Bedfordshire. Local trees were planted by wonderful volunteers in wild weather & high winds under the umbrella of our planting partners at the Forest of Marston Vale Trust.
The Forest of Marston Vale is 61 square miles of land set between Bedford and Milton Keynes. It was a very different place before the Forest of Marston Vale Trust came along. Massive pits had been dug throughout the countryside to supply Stewartby Brickworks with clay, many of which were then filled with waste and became landfill. Tree cover was a pitiful 3%, a third of the national average at the time. To help the area recover from the effects of these industries, the Government made the area a Community Forest (one
of 12 in the UK) in the early 90s. The idea was that planting trees and using woodlands would make life better for people and wildlife as well as the environment. Since then, the Forest Charity has planted an incredible 2 million trees and have transformed the landscape by planting twelve thriving woodlands with bike paths, nature trails, picnic spots and wild space. They’re working towards 30% tree cover in the whole area which means planting another 5 million trees. We’re pleased to be playing a small part in helping them get there.
The Forest of Marston Vale’s community focus is a massive appeal and being just a couple of hours outside London, site visits are both easy and encouraged.
Planting at Marston Vale
CAP Tree Planting Autumn 2021
RIVERSIDE PLANTING IN THE KYLE OF SUTHERLAND
In the Autumn of 2021, CAP funded the planting of 2250 indigenous trees along the Carron & Oykel rivers in the Kyle of Sutherland in the Highlands in Scotland. The planting location was at a key site for riparian (riverside) woodland restoration with Atlantic salmon, otters and white-tailed eagles all calling it home.
Centuries of tree felling and overgrazing by sheep and deer has stripped Scotland’s riverbanks of its woodlands, threatening the wildlife that depend on it. On top of this, thanks to climate change, Scotland's rivers are warming making conditions difficult for both flora and fauna.
The good news is that riparian woodlands are nectar for rivers. The tree cover provides shade and cools the temperatures, falling leaves infuse the waters with nutrients, and tree roots stabilise the river's banks and help prevent flooding.
In partnership with the Kyle of Sutherland Fisheries Trust, our planting partners at Mossy Earth are overseeing this riverbank project, planting vast numbers of trees including alder, downy birch, willows, hazel, bird cherry, elm and aspen.
Planting in The Kyle of Sutherland
CAP Tree Planting Summer 2021
REWILDING IN THE CALEDONIAN FOREST
In June 2021, 3125 CAP trees were planted at the stunning Alladale Wilderness Reserve by our planting partners at Mossy Earth.
Alladale is a key site for re-wilding. It forms part of the great Caledonian Forest which once covered most of Scotland and was filled with historic Scots pine and beautiful broadleaf trees. Centuries of tree felling for timber and farmland has meant this vast forest has been reduced to just 1% of its former range.
Between 2009 and 2012 Paul Lister, owner of Alladale, completed phase one of a project to re-forest the land by planting 920,000 saplings within the estate’s 23,000 acres. Phase two of this project to plant a further 2,000 acres with trees is currently underway.
The regeneration of Alladale’s woodland has paved the way for the successful re-introductucion of red squirrels & wild cat to the area. Details and clips can be seen here. Paul Lister is hoping to be the first location in the UK to re-introduce wolves.
Planting at Alladale Wilderness Reserve
