
A 12.26-hectare planting project in Staffordshire is underway to enhance biodiversity and restore historic woodland areas.
Landowner Jonathan Capener, a third-generation steward of the land, is leading the project in partnership with Robinson Forestry and Tubex, supported by T W Hardesty Forestry & Rural Services, Hatton Contracts Ltd, and Cheviot Trees.
The site, which was once a racecourse in the early 1900s, is being transformed through a programme of woodland creation and restoration. The project is reconnecting fragmented ancient woodland and replanting areas lost to clearance around the Second World War.
One of the key efforts of the programme is the restoration of Bentilee Wood, expanding it to its historical extent, alongside the replanting of Oxhay Wood, a 6.7-hectare area felled in the 1940s.
Together, these efforts aim to enhance biodiversity and provide continuity between woodland habitats with a mix of native species such as oak, field maple, hazel and Scots pine.
While conifers are carefully planted outside the ancient woodland areas, the primary focus remains on native species to support local ecosystems.
The project is also expected to contribute significantly to carbon sequestration, with estimates suggesting it will absorb approximately 3,500 tonnes of carbon over the next 100 years.