Climate and Nature Fund Case Study: Working Woodlands CIC

In 2017, Working Woodlands Cornwall was established to bring much needed improvement to the health and biodiversity of Cornwall’s woods. As a now well-established Community Interest Company, the team at Working Woodlands are growing their capabilities thanks to funding from the Cornwall Climate and Nature Fund.

Taking care of our woods and trees can have benefits for wildlife, the environment and business. Effectively growing woodlands provides a sustainable source of firewood, timber and coppice products, increases the woodland's resilience to climate change, pests and diseases, and enhances the area for wildlife.

As an organisation, Working Woodlands Cornwall specialise in woodland management, as well as agroforestry which is the integration of trees on farms enabling agriculture and tree growth to coexist. Key aspects of their work include tree felling, coppice rotation, continuous cover forestry and enrichment-planting to bring a diversity of species to our woodlands. Over the last seven years the team at Working Woodlands have seen the huge biodiversity benefits of their work. They’ve experienced the woodlands coming alive with the sounds and colours of birds and insects thriving in their well-managed environment.

However, some woodlands aren’t always accessible enough to be managed. Where woodland is dense or occurs on steep gradients it can be difficult to access initially, or it can be hard to get the timber out once the management work is done. One way to increase access is with a purpose-built, smaller scale forestry tractor designed to be light and low-impact to avoid impactful track building or damaged soils. A tractor would improve overall efficiency, meaning more woodlands could be managed increasing their benefits, and more staff could be employed to do the work.

To support the purchase of a new tractor, the team at Working Woodlands Cornwall turned to the Climate and Nature Fund. The fund, set up by Cornwall Council and hosted on Crowdfunder UK, supports projects and activities that help Cornwall tackle and respond to climate change and promote nature recovery, giving up to £5,000 in support. By accessing the fundraising platform and the Climate and Nature Fund the team were able to raise more than £27,000 towards their new tractor.

“The Climate and Nature Fund has been brilliant for us, providing a real boost to our Crowdfunder campaign! Funds like these, and the generosity of the community, fill in the gaps left by the normal government funding streams, which are focused more on large-scale industrial enterprises and not always appropriate for Cornwall’s small and environmentally sensitive woodlands.

Our new compact tractor has already been hard at work, showing its worth valiantly through this endless rain which would otherwise have caused work to stop for a month while we wait for the ground to dry.

This tractor will make a real difference to our business in the long term too, unlocking exciting new ways to get local timber into the homes of our community, reducing imported wood and risks of tree diseases, and improving habitats while we do it!” Nick Jarvis, Director, Working Woodlands.

If you have a project that tackles the effects of the climate and ecological emergency, you could receive up to £5,000 in support. Find out more:

Cornwall Council: Cornwall Climate Nature Fund (crowdfunder.co.uk)

Working Woodlands Cornwall – Creating a thriving woodland sector for Cornwall

Revitalise Cornwall's Woods! - a Environment crowdfunding project in Truro by Working Woodlands Cornwall (crowdfunder.co.uk)