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As wildfire risk grows in the UK, how can we build more resilient landscapes while continuing to support wildlife and healthy ecosystems? The starting point is understanding the land.

Hay meadow near Lopcombe Corner, Wiltshire © Andrew Smith / Geograph, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 In most conversations about restoring nature, there is a quiet assumption that if we stop intervening, nature will recover on its own. Sometimes that's true, but not always. Different Ecosystems Are Sustained In Different Ways Different ecosystems are maintained by different ecological processes. Some depend on succession, some depend on periodic disturbance, and some on very lit

A selection of seeds from the Green Up Britain seed bank. If your garden has struggled through this summer's heat, you're not alone. But if your plants managed to set seed before they gave up, you may already have the beginnings of next year's growing season. Saving seed is one of the oldest acts of horticulture. In a world where biodiversity is declining and our summers are becoming hotter and drier, it's one of the simplest ways to help our gardens adapt. Around the world,

Disused coal tip at the foot of Graig Fawr. Photo: ©Alan Hughes, Geograph, CC-BY-SA/2.0 If you've spent time in the South Wales valleys, you'll know that the hillsides still bear the marks of more than a century of mining. Yet many of Wales' coal tips have been found to support rare insects, reptiles, fungi and wildflowers. Together these raise an important question: as Wales seeks to expand woodland cover, and investment in coal tip safety accelerates, what role should trees

AI-assisted edit of a timber-frame construction site in Farnham, Surrey. Britain’s Timber Problem Britain is one of the least forested countries in Europe. Woodland covers around 14% of UK land area, compared with substantially higher levels across much of the continent.[1,2] And the UK imports roughly 70-80% of its timber and wood products[3]. That's remarkable for a country with growing conditions well suited to productive commercial forestry, particularly high-quality soft

A couple of years ago I was drifting over the British countryside in a hot air balloon, looking down at the patchwork of fields below, when I noticed something unusual. Huge rings were in the grass beneath us. I asked the pilot what they were. “Fairy rings,” he said. “You don’t see large ones much anymore.” These enormous rings are formed by fungi spreading slowly outward underground over many years. As the fungus grows, it changes the availability of nutrients and water in t

It's a question I've asked myself more than once. Woodlands existed for thousands of years before humans showed up with chainsaws and management plans, so why do we suddenly need to intervene? The honest answer is both humbling and a little uncomfortable - because we already intervened. Just not in a good way. Young growth, established woodland, open sky. A Green Up Britain planting site. For millennia, British woodlands weren't truly wild, but they were naturally balanced. L

One of my favourite projects yet, the Hollywood-style bug house we've been working really hard on is now sitting in the centre of...

A few weeks ago, we were in Gostrey Meadow, in Farnham town centre, at Farnham Town Council's Community Day. We were one of a number of...

A few weekends ago we added to a hedgerow that we planted up the year before in Farnham Park. We incorporated more tree species into the...

Last weekend we braved the icy cold to add some more alder trees to Carron Pond in Farnham. The ones we planted there before, with Volvo,...

Remember this brilliant Greenpeace advert from 2021? It really highlights our problem with plastic, especially since we produce more...

A few weeks ago, I gave a talk on biodiversity at the Farnham Sustainability Festival, and wanted to share the key points from my...

We've had a busy few months since Christmas planting trees in Headley Down Nature Reserve (HNDR), Farnham and Wales (twice), plus holding...

On November 1st we launched a seed bank at the Maltings Arts and Cultural Centre in Farnham, to help increase biodiversity in gardens. It...

A couple of weeks ago I (Kaz) was lucky enough to complete the BEC (Birmingham Enterprise Community) Sustainability and Circular Economy...

I've never collected seeds before, and since we're installing a seed bank in Farnham soon, I thought I'd write a post to help anyone who,...

...and increase biodiversity in our town. On November 1st we'll be placing a lockable seed bank at Farnham Maltings, for people to swap...

Biodiversity or 'biological diversity' encompasses all living organisms (animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms plus the diversity...

Seed balls (aka seed/bee bombs) are brilliant. I've used seed balls many times now, and can honestly say they're a great way to grow...