Projects
Woodland & Forestry
About Our Woodland
We are proud to manage 100 acres of woodland here at Pollardine Farm. Some of the woodland has been part of the place for over 100 years.
The green areas on the map below show where Jane and Roger Hulton-Harrop have planted trees over the course of several decades. The orange areas show where we are going to plant in 2020.
To view the different decades, click the arrow next to the map title. This will allow you to view the left-hand panel. By checking or unchecking the red boxes next to each layer title, you will be able to see what has been added over the years.
Species planted at Pollardine
Hardwood species:
- Alder
- Ash
- Beech
- Blackthorn
- Elder
- Field Maple
- Hawthorn
- Hazel
- Holly
- Hornbeam
- Oak
- Rowan
- Silver Birch
- Sycamore
- Willow
Softwood species:
- Cypress
- Douglas Fir
- Larch
- Norway Spruce
- Scots Pine
- Sitka Spruce
Forestry Work 2014
With the production of a 10 year ‘Farm Woodland Plan’ commissioned to improve the management of our woodland with the help of a professional forester, emerged the exciting idea for quite a large forestry project.
As well as cataloguing and planning for all our woodland areas, we decided that the time was right to fell a stand of Douglas Fir in our freehold fifteen-hectare wood, Gittinshay.
The wood, unmanaged for some 60 years was well overdue a bit of attention and with the capital which would be realised by the sale of the Douglas, we could afford to thin Gittinshay and a nearby plantation of a similar age and neglect, The Sallies.
Machines were brought in
A road was constructed
Felling began
The tree trunks were stacked
The felled wood was sold. The wood was thinned. Objective achieved.
In 2015, 8,200 Douglas Fir were planted in the Douglas Fir area which had been felled to replace the crop that had been taken and make another investment for the next generation, not to mention the ‘carbon capture’ aspect.
Planting 2015-16
Copy needed
25th March 2016
Norway Spruce, 25th June 2018
Planting 2020
With support from The Woodland Grant Scheme, we are going to plant a total of 21 acres with trees. The species mix will be as follows.
16 acres will be planted with the full mix, consisting of:
- Douglas Fir
- Sitka Spruce
- Norway Spruce
- Western Red Cedar
- Western Hemlock
The remaining 5 acres will be planted with predominantly Sitka Spruce and Norway Spruce as a catch crop, with a 10% coverage of mixed broadleaves such as oak, alder and cherry.
Other projects at Pollardine
Meadow management
After receiving a detailed survey of the flora on our farm from The Shropshire Wildlife Trust, we have started managing two of our fields as hay meadows. We will have them surveyed again next spring.
Hedgerow creation
We have been awarded funding from the Shropshire Hills AONB and The Woodland Trust to plant an additional 40 metres of hedgerow on the farm to connect existing corridors.
Venue for hire
In 2018 we built a timber building inside one of our old farm sheds. With a spacious meeting area, a kitchen, two toilets, disabled access and a stunning view, it’s the perfect location for a day away from the office.