Protect Earth Skip to content Cheltenham, England
Protect Earth was born in the hills of Cotswolds so it's always a joy to expand our influence here. The windswept hills are devoid of trees with some had been lost to Ash die-back, and the once diverse grasslands have been replaced with “improved grass” for grazing, so there is a lot of room to improve the situation.
Avoiding some historic quarry sites, an archeological site, and some underground electric cables, we planted 315 trees on one farm, then their neighbors got in touch looking to rewild some unused parts of their farms. Now we’re creating a wildlife network, connecting all new and existing woodlands and scrubland with shelterbelts and hedgerows.
We returned to Hawling in July 2026 to carry out a survival survey, and found around 89% of trees had thrived. We noted an additional amazing natural regeneration of blackthorn. All were very healthy looking trees., with no sign of livestock entering the field.
No livestock in the field helps immensely, as it reduces the loss from damage to the trees. Hawling is a flat site, a big help in The Cotswolds because of the soil type, and is relatively sheltered from the regeneration of blackthorn.
This is a wonderful area for wildlife with corn buntings and skylarks still occurring on the farmland roundabout, with lots of exciting chalkland butterfly and plant species in the meadows.
However, the survival rate of our saplings is much lower that the other farm in this area because unfortunately sheep got into the young woodland due to insufficient fencing which has lost us a fair few saplings. Michael estimated a survival rate of 60%.
The landowners have agreed to get some proper fencing up, so we’ll be back to restock these saplings and straighten and weed those that are still with us as soon as possible.
Steve went to survey this farm, one of two so far in the area, in August. He was pleased to discover that the trees were doing reasonably well with a survival rate of 86%.
Red Kites were noticed soaring overhead; maybe these trees will provide nesting habitat for them in years to come. There were Chiffchaffs still singing around the area of new planting in August. The landowner said he had noticed an increase in butterflies and other insects around the Blackthorn and Hawthorn during the summer.
We came back to Hawling again, this time to plant another 880 trees. Adding these trees means our Hawling woodland has grown nicely, and the saplings are doing well, merging into planting on a third neighbour’s land to create a network effect for wildlife. The planting here was intended to increase the size and improve the quality of the hedge-line that runs through this farmland and meadow area.
Volunteers came from landowner’s son’s company, Capsule Cover, based in Cheltenham, who were keen to be involved in this event. We planted lots of species with berries which are eaten by winter thrushes, while in summer, bullfinches and linnets will use them as nesting habitat.
On a slightly cloudy Winter’s in January, we were invited by the new owners of a sheep farm, to help plant a further 500 trees on their land. They had lost a lot of trees to Ash dieback so they were very keen to replace the lost trees as soon as possible. We planted a mix of native broadleaved trees including some Hornbeam which serve the same wildlife.
The planting here was great fun. Half of the village came out to help, including neighbouring farmers. They cut back a huge patch of blackthorn to provide wood chip mulch, which we’ve spread around the saplings to keep back competition from the fast growing grass and weeds.
Help us create and maintain new woodlands, hedgerows and wildflower meadows! We need volunteers to sow seeds, plant saplings, clear invasive plant species and pick up litter. No qualifications necessary; jobs for all ages and abilities. Come and turn climate anxiety into climate action!
With government funding for reforestation and rewilding tenuous, we increasingly rely on our amazing community to keep us growing regardless of political shifts. Help Protect Earth continue to restore ecosystems and improve biodiversity across the country.
Help us put down roots! Your donations to our Land Fund let us seize the moment when the perfect piece of land comes up for sale. Every penny helps us secure community woodlands, healthier ecosystems, and a greener future for generations to come.