Tidgrove partners with Woodland Trust as ‘Platinum Wood’ honours Queen
Senior PR officer
A former farm with royal connections, already on the brink of becoming a vibrant woodland haven for wildlife, has been unveiled as the latest 70-acre tribute to the life of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Tidgrove Warren in Hampshire is one of the Woodland Trust’s Platinum Woods, a large-scale woodland creation opportunity for landowners taking part in The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC).
A nationwide tree-planting initiative created to mark the Platinum Jubilee, the QGC was extended until the end of March 2023 to give people an opportunity to plant trees in memoriam to honour Her Majesty.
Tidgrove spokesperson Charles Sainsbury-Plaice said: “We’re delighted that our wonderful woodland-in-waiting here at Tidgrove Warren will be coming full circle and once again showcasing its royal status by being part of a unique tribute to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
“We’ll be allowing the already thriving landscape to continue to evolve and develop, and the new woodland habitat will serve as a vital wildlife corridor and buffer zone.”
The fledgling 70-acre woodland, 12 miles from Basingstoke, has been created without the need to plant any new trees – instead careful management of the existing scrub will allow the wood to continue to flourish naturally over the next decade.
Woodland Trust ambassador Jules Action said: “The Platinum Wood at Tidgrove Warren is a fitting legacy to the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and one that looks to the future providing, as it does, a vital haven for nature. We hope this visionary site will inspire more landowners to create the nature-rich woodland we so urgently need across the UK.”
The Trust has given advice and helped determine the vision for Tidgrove, as well as exploring and helping with grant funding and research project possibilities.
Woodland Trust outreach adviser Mark Franklin said the chance to oversee the culmination of Tidgrove’s transformation from farmland to woodland was “incredibly exciting”.
He explained: “Tidgrove is a wonderful canvas offering endless possibilities, with land at various stages of natural regeneration.
“The blackthorn and hawthorn scrub is already approaching woodland status in terms of maturity, and with continued management and the protection of emerging saplings such as oaks, beech and whitebeam, we will have a completely native wood within a decade.”
Previously a working arable farm growing mainly malting barley for the brewing and distilling industry, Tidgrove has an impeccable royal pedigree, having once been used as the base for a medieval hunting lodge belonging to King Henry II.
After farming was abandoned here in 1992, the landscape was left to regenerate under the Country Stewardship scheme and now comprises species-rich chalk downland pasture and scrub, with three lakes and large nesting sites for stone curlew, plover and other wild birds.
Bird, insect, mammal and plant counts have been increasing year on year and much of the scrub and emerging woodland is covered in lichen.
Platinum Jubilee Woods will be registered on the online Queen’s Green Canopy map and landowners can mark the site with a special QGC plaque. New plantings may also be eligible for the Woodland Trust’s woodland carbon scheme and associated financial support.
Notes to editors
For further information please contact Owen Phillips at owenphillips@woodlandtrust.org.uk or 07958 066766.
For further information on Tidgrove please Charles Sainsbury-Plaice 07767 810639 or Raleigh Place 07770 786940.
The Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK with more than 500,000 supporters. It wants to see a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature. Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 29,000 hectares. Access to its woods is free so everyone can benefit from woods and trees.
The Trust has launched its ‘Plant More Trees’ climate campaign with a mission to plant 50 million trees across the UK by 2030. The charity is suggesting a £5 donation to help plant trees and fight the climate crisis, but every pound makes a difference.
Science shows that woods and trees combat the devastating effects of climate change: flooding, pollution, and extreme weather and temperature. They are also the ultimate carbon captors, absorbing atmospheric carbon and locking it up for generations.
The message is clear: trees are one of the best ways to tackle the climate crisis. #plantmoretrees
Free trees for schools and communities
The Woodland Trust is giving away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities to make sure everybody in the UK has the chance to plant a tree. To apply, or see terms and conditions, visit: www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/freetrees
The Trust’s tree packs have been generously funded by lead partners: Sainsbury's, Lloyds Bank, OVO Energy, Bank of Scotland and Sofology.
The Trust has three key aims:
- protect ancient woodland, which is rare, unique and irreplaceable
- restoration of damaged ancient woodland, bringing precious pieces of our natural history back to life
- establish native trees and woods with the aim of creating resilient landscapes for people and wildlife
The Queen’s Green Canopy
The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is a unique tree planting initiative created to mark the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. The QGC initiative has been extended to the end of March 2023 to give people the opportunity to plant trees in memoriam to honour Her Majesty.