We restore peatland

Peatlands are a vast terrestrial carbon store, but when in poor condition, eroding peatlands release CO2 into the atmosphere and contribute to climate change. Degraded peatlands can also have a negative effect on water quality, water regulation and fisheries, and can increase the risk of wildfires. In contrast, restored, healthy peatlands are home to specialised plant and animal life, positively contributing to native biodiversity. Alongside their carbon storage properties, they also provide natural flood and wildfire mitigation. 

We are restoring degraded peatland across our sites in Scotland and Northern England. We restore these precious carbon sinks, so that they can play an active role in fighting climate change. We use our experience and expertise in surveying, planning, funding applications, contract management and the Peatland Code to maximise carbon emission reduction and income whilst increasing biodiversity. 

We work with landowners to facilitate peatland restoration and biodiversity gain on their own properties. Restoring peatland can also be a source of income for landowners. Grants are available for peatland restoration work and by registering your project with the Peatland Code, the emissions reductions made will be verified. This generates carbon credits, which can provide a potentially significant income. 

We restore biodiversity

We have a team of in-house experts who manage our best practice biodiversity projects on our twelve unique sites across Scotland and northern England. Today, we are losing biodiversity at unprecedented rates - the UK only has half of its natural biodiversity left, placing it in the bottom 10% of all countries globally. Our Biodiversity Sponsorships fund a range of vital conservation projects across several of our forest sites including wetland regeneration, peatland restoration, wildflower meadow restoration, the protection of habitat for endangered species and ancient woodland. 

We plant trees

Our mission is to plant enough trees to remove 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by 2030. We plant native, broadleaf trees on our UK sites to create thriving habitats for wildlife. We never plant monocultures.

All our land and forests are UK based, guided by environmental principles first and foremost. We always plant the right tree in the right place, all species are native to the area, for example: birch, alder, oak and rowan. We own the land our trees are planted on, so we can guarantee permanence of the forest and carbon sequestered – once it’s planted, it will stay. Our reforestation site at Dumyat won The Climate Change Champion Award at Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards 2023.

Once we finish planting a forest we do the same thing again, and again, and again. Hundreds of trees become thousands, thousands become millions. Millions of trees will have a significant impact on the climate crisis. This nature-based approach is not the only solution to climate change, but it’s real, here now and already making a measurable difference to biodiversity and global C02 levels.

Our carbon projects

We work closely with the Woodland Carbon Code and the Peatland Code to validate and subsequently verify the carbon stored as a result of our projects. This means that we now have independently validated carbon units available and can help businesses address their residual carbon emissions through our award-winning woodland creation and peatland restoration schemes. 

A Woodland Carbon Unit (WCU) or Peatland Carbon Unit (PCU) represents one ton of CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalent) removed from the atmosphere through the growth of trees (WCU) or restoration of peatland (PCU). Our carbon projects have forerunners known as Pending Issuance Units (PIUs), which represent a ‘promise to deliver’ a WCU or PCU within a specified timeframe.

We need to be clear that carbon offsetting is not a silver bullet for climate change, but investing in carbon projects can be a useful tool to support your business in addressing unavoidable carbon emissions once you have reduced emissions in other areas. Alongside this, investing in carbon units is a way of providing essential funding for vital climate-action projects. The funds from the sale of carbon units allow us to finance the restoration itself, and are invested right back into the business, allowing us to continue to grow and access more land to restore more habitat.