The landscape around our workshop in the High Peak is well known for its gritstone hills, open moors and farmland. Despite its undoubted beauty, visitors these days might be surprised to know that this whole area was once a Royal Forest. Indeed, the name of our village – Chapel-en-le-Firth – roughly translates to “chapel in the forest”.
Over the course of the last millennia, much of the natural woodland which once peppered the area has been lost. Now, however, the trees are making a comeback and we’re doing our part to ensure a more leafy future for the Peaks.
Back in 2003 we decided that for every wooden staircase we made, we’d plant five saplings. Such has been the popularity of our staircases that we’ve now planted over 3,000 trees!
The most recent group of 1050 saplings were delivered to our farm back in January. As you can imagine, planting such a large number of trees requires both careful planning and a good knowledge of the local habitat. Ben Lambert from the Peak District National Park Authority has been on hand to help us find suitable native species and ensure the existing ecosystems are properly protected.
In total, we planted 14 different species of trees including birch, oak, alder, field maple and small leaved lime. We also fitted sheep fencing and planted a further 300 metres of hedges to give the young saplings the best possible start in life.
With all these trees now taking up over a hectare of land, we thought it was about time we gave the woodland a name and what could be more fitting than the ‘Anniversary Wood’ to commemorate our 25-year anniversary celebrations.
As you can see, the wood is very much in its infancy right now, but we can’t wait to see our saplings develop into a fine forest over the coming years. We’ll keep you up to date on its progress right here and hopefully it won’t be too long until the next section of woodland is ready to be planted and some stunning staircases installed!
