Coed Crafnant rainforest © Ben Porter
Temperate rainforest restoration
In partnership with Aviva
The Wildlife Trusts have embarked on an ambitious 100-year journey to restore one of the rarest and most precious woodland habitats across the British Isles: our lost temperate rainforests.
Coastal temperate rainforest exists in only a few places round the world and the UK’s rainy, cool climate makes us one of the best places for it to grow.
Affectionately described as woodlands with “green on green on green”, there’s so much rain that plants and lichen cover every available surface, including the bows of trees.
© Ben Porter
Andy Rouse 2020VISION
Ben Porter
These rare, romantic woods once covered much of the wet, west coast of the British Isles. But after centuries of deforestation, only small fragments remain. So we’re making it our mission to expand what we have left.
By planting young trees across the Atlantic seaboard, we plan to expand the habitat by over 1700 hectares in 100 years. Made possible by a generous donation from Aviva, not only will this safeguard and buffer existing woodland, our new sites will lock up almost 440,000 tonnes of carbon and act as freshwater sponges, buffering against flooding and drought.
Wildlife you can find in a temperate rainforest
Previously referred to as Atlantic oakwood, the rainforests of the British Isles are actually made up of all sorts of trees, in different combinations depending on where you are.
As well as oak, you might find hazel, holly, alder, rowan, birch, willow and Scot’s pine. And all are capable of providing the perfect surface for mosses, lichens, fungi, ferns, and liverworts to grow.
The Temperate Rainforest Restoration Programme
Made possible by a generous donation from Aviva, we have the opportunity to tackle the climate and nature emergency by restoring this ecologically important habitat. More about our partnership with Aviva.
Over the course of the programme, 1,755 hectares of rainforest will be created with an estimated 222,000 tonnes of carbon sequestered by 2050, doubling to 440,000 tonnes by 2060.
Some of the amazing new sites created through this programme include
- Bowden Pillars in Devon
- Bryn Ifan in North Wales
- Creg y Cowin and Glion Darragh on the Isle of Man
- Trellwyn Fach in Pembrokeshire
- Skiddaw in Cumbria
Each site is owned and managed by the local Wildlife Trust and encompasses several other initiatives which will run in tandem to the tree planting: agroforestry schemes, community engagement, volunteering opportunities, and eventually some low-impact grazing will all work to enrich the wider programme and ensure its success well into the future.
Monitoring forms a significant part of ongoing work at each new site. Trusts are collecting several sources of baseline biodiversity data before planting begins. Surveys look at all sorts of wildlife, from breeding birds to bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, hornworts), and lichens to butterflies and bats. Aerial mapping will be carried out by drones. Accurate baseline data and subsequent monitoring will help show how exactly biodiversity, soil and water quality, and tree cover changes as sites transform into young temperate rainforests.
Temperate Rainforest Research Programme
To ensure we’re doing this in the most scientifically sound way, we’ve started a Rainforest Research programme, supported by our partners Aviva. Across multiple universities, we’re looking at:
- how best to plant trees in bracken
- the acoustic footprint of a healthy rainforest
- how temperate rainforest impacts the flow of water in rivers, and
- what place names can tell us about historical habitats
Learn more about the research programme
We also publish annual impact reports, where you can read more about the ongoing progress and impact of the programme.
How organisations can get involved
Aviva’s donation and continued partnership has enabled us to make a strong start in acquiring new nature reserves for temperate rainforest, as well as managing those reserves for the next 100 years. We will continue to fundraise for vital work needed to help this habitat recover at scale. To explore how your organisation can invest in substantial high-quality carbon removals on a national scale, please contact us here.
Alternatively, for smaller-scale carbon removal projects, find your local Wildlife Trust to discover opportunities tailored to your region. While the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) collaborates with national partners on large-scale initiatives, local Wildlife Trusts offer impactful, community-focused projects that deliver meaningful carbon reductions at a regional level.
