Nature & Landscape Restoration

The Land Trust vision for Woodoaks by 2030

Use the arrow key to reveal the key landscape changes to Woodoaks, which have been underway since the Land Trust took stewardship of the farm in 2020. By 2030 the new visitor facilities created by the Black Barn Project together with improved accessibility and new pathways will connect more people directly to the farm, to experience how farming in harmony with nature protects and boosts biodiversity and wildlife, restoring the connection between nature and how healthy nutritious food is produced.

Landscape restoration

Our touchstone for landscape restoration is the 1760 map of the farm drawn up for the first public sale of the land in 1000 years. We are using this as a basis for our Conservation Plan as it shows lost historic boundaries that we can replace with new hedgerows. Smaller field sizes with hedges and conservation margins will add to the structural and biological diversity of the farm.

New habitats such as ponds, trees and flower rich meadows, combined with our regenerative approach to farming and soil health, will create a wildlife friendly environment for our organic food production, which respects the heritage of the farm.

Woodoaks Farm, 1760

Woodoaks Farm 2030

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1. The Black Barn

The magnificent listed Black Barn is the jewel in Woodoaks’ crown, not only as a fine example of its type as a heritage asset but because of what it means to people. It is a much-loved local landmark and a stepping stone into the landscape, history and wildlife of the farm, even with its currently limited facilities.

At the heart of the project, a new building adjacent to the Black Barn will provide an education and community hub, including fully accessible kitchen and toilet facilities, reconnecting people of all ages to nature via food and agroecological education.

2. Hedgerows

Hedges are a characteristic feature of the woodoaks landscape and a national priority habitat. They are a very important component of the farm’s physical and biological diversity, providing vital corridors for wildlife across the farm. We have planted over 2 kilometres of new hedges since 2022, much of which has reinstated lost boundaries shown on the 1760 plan. We have over 3 kilometres more we can plant.

3. Scrub

Scrub is a very important habitat, especially where it provides a graduated edge between woodland and herb-rich pastures. We have a wonderful area of naturally regenerating scrubby woodland, one of the most biodiversity-rich areas on the farm, and an old chalk pit with a mix of scrub and chalk grassland rich in wildflowers and butterflies. We want to continue to soften the edges of our woods to provide a rich habitat for a range of birds, insects and mammals.

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4. Field Margins

We have taken advantage of agri-environment government funding in the past to create field margins and field corners, adjacent to cultivated fields to provide habitat for wildflowers, pollinating insects and winter bird seed. Field edges are left uncut under the overhanging trees in our meadowland, providing a valuable contrast in vegetation which is beneficial to wildlife.

5. Agroforestry

In 2023, the big 70-acre arable field, previously a featureless single crop, was divided, by the reinstatement of a historic hedgerow and the introduction of beetle/pollinator strips. This will be developed into an agro-forestry system with rows of productive fruit and nut trees dividing smaller strips of field that can be used for a variety of crops or grassland. This will again improve the structural diversity of trees, plants and crops and add to the biological interest of the farm.

6. Market Garden/Growers

Eleven acres of land east of the Black Barn have been enclosed to create horticultural units. Currently, five acres are let to farmer Rickey’s Alkaline Market Garden & Fruit Forest and one acre is managed by Melanie’s Golden Rose Flower Farm for organic flower production. This reflects the land trust’s commitment to encouraging new and more diverse people into farming and helps to fulfil our ambition for people to buy produce direct from the farm.

7. Circular Pathways

We want to make Woodoaks’ footpaths more accessible and establish a choice of circular walks. At present people can walk over the motorway bridge to Bottom Wood but must return to the farm by the same route. Our ambition is to create a new circular walk which will allow people to re-cross the motorway via the underpass on our southern boundary and walk back to the farm along the ridge and our highest point which gives fine views over the colne valley.

8. Community Orchard

We aim to create both a community garden and a community growing orchard designed and planted by Woodoaks volunteers, to provide an “edible ecosystem”. This would grow a variety of fruit and nut trees and be used to help people learn about the relationship between our food production and nature.

9. Ponds

Currently, we have no natural water features at Woodoaks. This is a missed opportunity to increase the wildlife interest of the farm. We are exploring several opportunities to add ponds to increase our habitat diversity and provide an educational resource to help people learn about the importance of nature.

10. Soil Health

All the cropped land has been put down to herbal leys as a natural fertility-building process as part of the conversion to organic production, completed in september 2024. A new crop rotation will be introduced to increase the diversity of foods grown. This will help to improve the health of our soils, increasing organic matter, insects, worms and microbes all of which will add to fertility and lock up carbon. As well as adding to the produce we can sell locally

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11. Wildlife/Birds

Woodoaks is very popular with amateur naturalists including serious birders and butterfly, bat, and plant enthusiasts, who regularly watch and record its wildlife. The farm has an impressive list of recorded wildlife species such as 100 species of birds, including three types of owls, and remarkably, 17 of the 19 species that make up the uk farmland bird indicator; 38 species of flowering plants including the nationally rare spreading hedge parsley, and 25 species of butterflies.

12. Grasslands

Even though our grasslands are now organic, they are not very diverse in terms of wildflowers and grass species. We want to change that. We aim to recreate rare lowland hay meadow west of the motorway and more flower-rich chalk grassland around the old chalk pit. One of Sally Findlay’s dreams is for motorists on the m25 to be able to look at wildflowers while they are stuck in traffic on the motorway! We also want to add more in-field trees to provide shade and shelter for livestock as well as more habitat diversity.

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”

John Muir, Naturalist, author and environmental philosopher

Ever Greater Biodiversity

The following images – all captured by Woodoaks Farm’s birders and local nature photographers – illustrate the fast improving biodiversity all across the farm that is a direct consequence of the wide range of interventions we have been and will continue to be focused towards.