From Complications to Conservation: The Story of Castle Caereinion Smallholding and Protect Earth

Project at a glance

Where: close to Welshpool, mid-Wales

When: Jan, 2024

What planted: 680 trees made up of native species that will sequester 272 tCO2e after 50yrs

How many days to complete planting: 1 day

Land under direct Protect Earth management: N/A

Acres of wildflower meadows sown: 0

Kilometres of hedgerows planted: 0

Acres of ancient woodland restoration: 0

Protect Earth wants two things - establish as much biodiversity in the UK as we can and support others who wish to transform their land into an oasis of verdant green and life. This journey to green stewardship can be complicated - what to plant, in what numbers, where to get the trees, and finding financial support.

At each hurdle and for different reasons, some fantastic projects and well-intentioned people fall through the cracks. Until their late-night online searches lead them to Protect Earth. And then, something shifts, clouds open, and we find the answers needed for these landowners to fulfil their dreams.

One such recent case is Castle Caereinion Woodland. The landowners wanted to green their land as part of a bigger transformational project for their family and friends (plant, wildlife, and people-based) to enjoy.

Until they found Protect Earth, they came up against complications and bureaucracy. Let's dig into Castle Caereinion Woodland, their experience, and the recent transformation on their land once greenery was planted!

About Castle Caereinion smallholding

Jonathan and his family bought a 4-hectare site close to Castle Caereinion in Mid-Wales. The site has been used for sheep grazing, meaning it has little biodiversity.

On buying the land, Jonathan wanted to change the landscape of his 4 hectares, adding to what was on the land for the enjoyment and well-being of his family and to bolster biodiversity in the area.

Difficulties getting their dreams off the ground

As with the beginnings of most journeys today, Jonathan started online typing in keywords where the big players in developing biodiversity dominate the top search returns.

Digging around on websites, Jonathan felt confident with a large environmental charity and reached out to them with his ideas.

After a series of back and forths, Jonathan and the organisation reached a plan on what to plant, quantities, and when to deliver. That is when the terminal obstacle raised its head, "After coming up with a plan and getting to the point of paying for the trees, the issue we had was arranging delivery."

Jonathan shared the difficulties, "We live a fair distance from the site, which is a field in the middle of Wales. They needed a definite address to deliver to, which was difficult for us to provide."

As Jonathan was moving through this, the obstacle didn't seem terminal. He remained optimistic a solution would present itself. Nevertheless, it soon became clear Jonathan would have to look

elsewhere, self-fund his vision, or give up. "They told us that they could deliver to the site, and we spent a lot of time discussing logistics on that basis until they eventually discovered that they couldn't do that."

What Castle Caereinion looks like today

Not to be disheartened, Jonathan soon found himself back in front of his computer, digging further into the internet's search results, looking for a solution when he discovered Protect Earth.

Jonathan contacted us and got through to Protect Earth's chair, Phil, who was very helpful and outlined how we could support Jonathan in transforming his smallholding. From there, we set up a regular communication cadence to make Jonathan's ideas grow from paper to reality, "Everyone we have dealt with has been extremely friendly, helpful and communicative. It has been a very positive experience."

Close to the end of January 2024, Jonathan and Protect Earth met at Castle Caereinion with a few volunteers eager to create a will-be woodland.

Protect Earth sourced the trees and shrubs from a nursery 49 miles away from the planting site, ensuring that the saplings planted have the resilience to conditions, increasing the likelihood of successfully reaching maturity.

We took delivery of a mix of native tree and shrub species including Oak, Wild Cherry, Rowan and Birch. "The new planting will incorporate gaps and glades and include shrub species to give the woodland a diverse and natural structure," As Steve the Ecologist instructed.

Protect Earth has set out metrics that are essential to us. Equally, biodiversity development projects are wonderful to be a part of, and it helps to work with others from time to time, sharing our knowledge on biodiversity development and ongoing management.

Jonathan, his family and friends who visit are happy to know that the woodlands they've started with Protect Earth will sequester 272 tons of carbon after 50 years.

"It's going to be a wildlife habitat for our family and friends to enjoy in the years to come," Jonathan says as he talks about his vision for Castle Caereinion. There is much more to biodiversity development than planting trees and shrubs, which Jonathon knows, "We are introducing trees and probably other features such as ponds, etc, but will largely be letting nature take over."

To sum up

We're both excited and grateful to Jonathan for reaching out and working with us to help him achieve (some of) his green goals.

Not long ago, Protect Earth was also stumbling through websites, frustratedly looking for answers. We have been there; we know the pains at each point and the frustration sometimes accompanying wanting to do good. If Jonathan's experience resembles your current path, please contact us. We will help and support you achieve your goals