Manor Farm: how trees can help your farm business to thrive

Farmer Peter Burchell talks about how the National Forest’s forest creation grants have helped his family turn the unproductive parts of his farmland into something profitable.

In the late 90s, Peter’s father planted trees across 110 acres of his unproductive farmland. Today, this inspirational decision has led to the creation of a new contracting business and a diversified farm. Hear from Peter as he tells the story of his journey from working with his father, to now managing the farm himself, and how the National Forest has helped them along the way.

We are aiming for 33% forest cover in the National Forest to benefit the environment, people, wildlife and business; working with farm and landowners to maximise the benefits of their land, produce high-quality products and support land management.

If you own a farm or land in the National Forest, our grants can help you to create and manage woodlands, maintain habitats such as meadows, wetlands, ponds, parkland and hedges, and diversify your land and business into the future. We can offer free and impartial advice on large and small sites, application is straightforward and up to 100% of costs can be covered. To find out more about our grants and if you’re eligible you can email grants@nationalforest.org.

So far, we have planted 9 million trees in the National Forest. If you want to part of growing a greener future but don’t own land, you can still support this work by making a donation or helping us create more woodlands by dedicating a tree.