500-acre woodland to be created at Northumberland farm

Fantastic news for wildlife

July 2011: One of the biggest habitat creation schemes of its kind in England is set to take root in Northumberland. The Forestry Commission has linked-up with Natural England, Defence Estates, Northumberland National Park and farmers Matt and Judith Ridley to back a major project which will see 200 hectares (500 acres) of new native woodland take root on possibly England's remotest farm at Blindburn, near Otterburn.

HOPE FOR FUTURE: Farmer Matt Ridley with his  three-year-old son Tom.

Wildlife will get a huge boost, say experts, including insects, small mammals and birds such as the endangered black grouse. Over the next 30 years, grants worth £900,000 have been pledged by the Forestry Commission. More than 200,000 trees and shrubs will be planted and 9km of wooden fencing installed, vital to protect saplings from grazing livestock.

Planting will take a year to complete
The project is one of the biggest supported under the English Woodland Grant Scheme in recent years. Planting will begin this winter and take a year to complete.

Richard Pow, from the Forestry Commission's North East region, said: ‘Less than one per cent of the Northumberland National Park is native woodland, so there's major work to be done in expanding this incredibly valuable habitat.

‘This scheme will lock up carbon as trees grow, helping meet the challenges of climate change, and provide a rich mosaic of habitats, including moorland and wet woodland. It's extremely unusual to be able to get such a large scheme off the ground. But this investment will help create a greener and more sustainable future for our children.'

Blindburn Farm is owned by Defence Estates (part of the Ministry of Defence) and used for training, but it is also run as a tenanted 1,758 hectare (4,395 acre) hill farm by Matt Ridley and his mother Judith.

Sound option both economically and environmentally
Matt explained: ‘This is a sound option for the land in economic and environmental terms. The plan was first proposed as part of a smaller scheme to encourage the local black grouse population, but it expanded when the wider benefits became clear.

‘We are one of the few farms in the area that could accommodate a scheme of this size and still remain a viable farming unit. This scheme wasn't entered into lightly and it was a difficult decision to take so much land out of agricultural production. But a lot of work has been done to ensure the project goes ahead. As farmers we need to see the bigger picture.'

Andy McNaught, Lead Adviser Land Management with Natural England, added: ‘The planting of a major new native woodland at Blindburn Farm will create exciting new habitats for wildlife in Northumberland and looks set to provide a vital lifeline in the region for a whole range of wonderful wildlife.

‘Natural England's Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) scheme is already helping to safeguard the special upland habitat at Blindburn Farm and this new woodland project will significantly increase and diversify the wildlife importance of the area in the future.'