Woodland Creation and Expansion for Carbon Sequestration and Habitat Improvement

About 

Tilhill Forestry and CarbonStore, working closely with the farmer, designed and implemented the woodland creation plan at Accurrach, located north of Inveraray, Argyll and Bute, historically used for sheep and cattle grazing.

The project aims to deliver an expansion of native woodland with a focus on carbon sequestration. The opportunity to secure carbon funding from tree planting encouraged the farmer to diversify and plant up the less productive elements of their farm with over 50,000 native trees.

Tree Planting & Species

The project comprises of native species suitable for the site and naturally present in the wider landscape. Species include Scots pine and broadleaf trees, such as alder, birch, goat willow , hazel and rowan. Rowan provides pollen and nectar for pollinators such as bees and bright berries provide a rich source of food for birds including valuable feeding opportunities for Black Grouse.

• Species % of Area
• Scots Pine 19%
• Alder 15%
• Birch 20%
• Rowan 32%
• Goat Willow 9%
• Hazel 5%

The planting will significantly enhance the area’s ecology and improve biodiversity.

A soil survey was done prior to works, and areas of deep peat were identified and excluded from the woodland creation plan.

The UK Forestry Standard was strictly complied with during the design process (tree species selection, densities, proportion of open ground, protection of priority species and habitats).

Wildlife

The restoration of the land to its natural, wooded state will help protect the local environment, creating new habitats for native birds and other wildlife through the careful management of the new woodland.

A breeding bird survey highlighted several steps required to accommodate the Golden Eagles hunting over the site, and these recommendations were incorporated into the design. Image: Black Grouse

The project will also benefit other bird species, including Red-listed Black Grouse and Cuckoo, and has potential benefits for the Golden Eagle prey base as the trees become more established. Common Buzzard and Kestrel were recorded hunting over adjacent hill ground. The proposal will see an increase in potential nest-sites for both species.

Habitat Creation

Accurrach Woodland is located in an area of existing biodiversity interest. The project was designed to create and improve priority habitats through the extension of existing mature woodland on adjacent areas. Native trees are planted in small single species groups to encourage species specific fauna (invertebrates in particular).

The retention of 20% open ground and the increase in woodland edge with low-density planting will create a mosaic of habitats which will increase biodiversity on the site.

Water Quality

Accurrach has three watercourses running through the site, each benefiting from riparian planting of broadleaves to help with bank stabilisation and deliver water quality improvements, as the tree planting will help improve catchment resilience by reducing run-off and flood risk.

Forest Management

Tilhill Forestry have been carrying out maintenance works to ensure successful establishment of the woodland, with a final operation to replace any tree losses due in Spring 2024. The forest will be managed in the future with minimal intervention after the initial establishment phase, with only fence maintenance plus deer and other herbivore control carried out as required. No thinning or clearfell will take place as the woodland is intended as a permanent native resource.

Land Use

The tree planting has low impact on the agricultural viability of the farm as the woodland creation area utilises the poorer areas of ground within the farm. The woodland will help the farm to become sustainable by removing harder to work and less economically viable areas.

Woodland Carbon Credits

CarbonStore, Tilhill Forestry’s woodland carbon division, supported the farmer throughout every step of the carbon transaction. They worked with the farmer and the forest manager to complete and submit all the necessary documents for validation of the project by the Woodland Carbon Code. This demands the highest standards of woodland creation and management to ensure emissions are accurately matched against offsets.

The woodland generated approximately 10,000 carbon credits, a portion of which the farmer at Accurrach decided to sell to McLaren Packaging. McLaren is a specialist supplier of award-winning cardboard packaging for the food and drinks sector whose production base at Port Glasgow is less than 30 miles from the woodland at Accurrach. McLaren has ambitious environmental targets and their investment at Accurrach plays an important part in realising these objectives.

For the farmer at Accurrach, McLaren’s purchase of the carbon credits was crucial to making the planting of the woodland a viable proposition against the existing land use. By selling a portion of the carbon credits, they have increased the overall income from that land while also improving the wildlife across the farm and providing their livestock with some natural shelter during bad weather.

CarbonStore will continue to arrange ongoing site verifications to certify that carbon sequestration is occurring and calculate the volume of carbon capture. The woodland planting has brought jobs and economic activity and a myriad of other benefits to a remote area of Scotland. The woodlands will remove approximately 6,000 tonnes of carbon over the next 100 years.

How can CarbonStore help you?

In partnership with Tilhill Forestry, CarbonStore can help you deliver new woodland creation and woodland-based carbon mitigation projects that not only achieves the highest possible standards in carbon offsetting but also offers many widespread benefits which we can all enjoy.

Please contact David McCulloch, the head of CarbonStore, personally either by email (david.mcculloch@carbonstoreuk.com) or by phone (07500 950832).