Colwell Wood
Site History
Colwell Wood marks the beginning of our journey into ecological restoration. Formerly a commercial Christmas tree plantation, the forest is currently dominated by relatively young, even-aged Norway Spruce. Before its time as a coniferous plantation, the area was heavily impacted by coal mining activity during the late 1800s. Despite this turbulent history, we are committed to transforming Colwell Wood into a thriving, biodiverse habitat.
Our Vision
​We will restore Colwell Wood into a thriving wet woodland. With Norway Spruce typically living for around 200 years, and with little sign of natural regeneration, we must employ a range of management interventions to 'kickstart' ecological succession. The current non-native monoculture of spruce will be gradually removed, while we introduce and establish a diverse community of native trees and shrubs: Downy Birch, Alder, and willow, as well as English Oak, Rowan, Common Hawthorn, and Scot's Pine. In turn, these native trees and shrubs will support a diverse abundance of native birds, mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates.​
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From botanical quadrat surveys, moth and small mammal trapping, to amphibian searches, fixed point photography, camera and bio-acoustic trapping, we undertake a comprehensive range of survey methodologies to record and document the change in biodiversity at Colwell Wood over time. As well as reporting on the success of our management interventions, the data and results from the ecological surveys are vital for guiding future management decisions. From an ecologically degraded landscape, Colwell Wood will become an environment teeming with life.
Plants and Habitat
The single-species tree plantation of Norway Spruce at Colwell Wood represents an ecologically degraded habitat.
A few species, such as Soft Rush, Purple Moor-Grass, Fern-Leaved Hook-Moss, Yorkshire Fog grass, Marsh Thistle, and Common Sorrel largely dominate the ground flora. Other species are present at scarcer densities, such as Cuckoo Flower and Marsh Bedstraw. Though these native species have some ecological value, there is not enough diversity to form a recognised woodland ground flora community.​​​
Wildlife at Colwell Wood
Through a multitude of surveys, we have established a biodiversity baseline for a broad range of taxonomic groups.
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With the woodland habitat dominated by only a single non-native tree species, Colwell currently holds little ecological value for many wildlife species. This was reflected in our baseline biodiversity surveys. Small mammal trapping saw no individuals detected, indicating a very low small mammal density, with similar results for the reptile and amphibian surveys. Moth trapping identified only four species.
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It is our hope that as we restore the woodland, the species diversity and abundance of all wildlife will increase.
Restoration Timeline
Be a part of the Journey
Whether you are a developer, a business, or an individual changemaker, you can be a part of the journey of restoring Colwell Wood by investing in our Biodiversity Net Gain certified biodiversity units. All our biodiversity units are calculated using the official DEFRA metric tool, verified by third party ecologists, and made long-term by legally binding s.106 agreements.
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Visit our Biodiversity Net Gain page for more details on the biodiversity units available.