Make a real difference to nature, right on your doorstep

Britain was once a wooded isle. Home to acres upon acres of ancient forest where the wild used to thrive.

Today, we’ve destroyed around 70% of that ancient woodland.

Our landscape may conjure up poetic lines like “this green and pleasant land” but on average, the UK has the lowest tree cover in Europe. After decades of chemical fertilisers, our rolling fields have become biodiversity deserts, with very little food or shelter for animals or plants. It’s no coincidence that we’ve lost a massive 60% of our wildlife in 40 years, and rank in the bottom 10% for biodiversity worldwide.

We are on a mission to reverse this. To bring back the vital canopy cover that allows nature and humans to thrive.

If you want to combat climate change on a local level. See woodlands and wildlife return to the UK. And one day, walk beneath the branches of those trees that you planted.

Our story

Working on environmental projects here in Cornwall and around the world, we’ve seen first-hand the impact of destroyed woodlands – altered weather patterns, hotter local temperatures, soil erosion, excess run off, flooding and poor air quality to name a few.

But most importantly, without trees and woodlands, animals, including humans, cannot survive.

So we made it our life’s goal to protect and restore the woodlands around us. We set up Plant One as a community interest company (CIC) to make it as easy as possible for others to make a difference too.

We started out with the mission;

‘if everyone planted one tree, the impact and environmental change would be huge’.

See more on our impact

Since 2021, we’ve planted almost 24 hectares of land with over 36,000 trees. And we’ve engaged thousands of people and many businesses – getting them out into the wilds to experience and restore these vital habitats themselves.

Now, we’re on a mission to bring woodlands back to the heart of our culture and our landscape by creating an additional 3 million square metres of thriving woodland habitat in the South West by the time we retire (the next 25yrs).

Our approach

Woodlands, planted properly

To make sure those tiny trees become mature woodlands, absorb carbon and provide much-needed homes for nature, it takes expertise, careful planting and long-term management. We offer all three.

Our team brings more than a decade of knowledge and experience working with woodlands and in environmental restoration.

South West is best

Here, our hyper-oceanic climate brings mild temperatures and plenty of rainfall. And with plenty of land that’s not being farmed, the South West is the best place in the UK for Celtic rainforest restoration. It’s local action that delivers national impact.

Site suitable, climate resilient

We carefully assess each site to understand the best way to establish a woodland there. We don’t take land out of agricultural use, and we choose a mix of species to strengthen the resilience and biodiversity of our work.

Sustained support

Once the trees are in the ground, we stick around to help nature do her work. We look after each site for at least seven years, often more, replacing trees that don’t survive the first few seasons, and protecting natural regeneration.

All to ensure survival

Across our five years of operating, our trees have a survival rate of 84%, far above the average survival rate of 56% for tropical tree planting projects.

People and woodlands, reconnected

Cultural amnesia means that we have forgotten our woodland past. When the trees were cut down, our connection to them was also severed. If we want people to invest in and protect our woodlands, we also need to restore that connection.

We’re rebuilding it with workshops, talks, planting and woodland wellbeing days, where we…