A 270m hedge was planted out in a single morning in Nempnett last month.

Despite the gloomy outlook, families from Ubley Primary School turned up at Nempnett Pastures and cheerfully got the young trees into the ground in time that defied expectations. By 3pm in the afternoon, the long hedge was staked and protected and happy families were returning home!

The hedgerow of native broadleaf varieties including holly, hawthorn and dogwood are part of local farmer George Ford’s farm vision for incorporating trees and agroforestry into his cattle and turkey farm, increasing welfare and productivity for his livestock, creating shade and water retention, providing habitat for pollinators and other wildlife, and sequestering carbon- aligning with the vision of Chew Valley Plants Trees, the Western Forest, Avon Needs Trees and other organisations calling for rapidly increasing tree cover in the area.

“I’d been planning this for a long time, had the weekend booked out to get the job done, and I’m over the moon we got it done so quickly! It just goes what can be achieved with a little bit of planning and help from the community. This hedge will now grow to be an important part of our farm - making it more resilient in our changing climate, and part of the changes we need to see in our landscapes, bringing more trees in to our farming practices”

Great job George and everyone involved! If you’ve got any stories you want to share with us about tree planting projects in the area - no matter how large or small, get in contact with us.

People can find out more about Chew Valley Plants Trees by visiting the website at www.chewvalleyplantstrees.co.uk or email the team at [email protected]