The Duke of Cornwall’s Award for Resilient Multi-Purpose Forestry 2024
Congratulations to Gold winner Morton Hall Estate, owned by the late Bill Mason, and to Silver winner Sennowe Forest.
This award recognises woods that are managed for ecological and economic resilience to threats such as pests, diseases and climate change in order to meet commercial, environmental and social objectives.
Gold winners: Morton Hall Estate
"An obvious attention to detail and appreciation of how the forest environment reacts to management marked the Estate out as being in wonderful health with excellent stocks of standing timber and a great future ahead of it building on Bill Mason’s management while he has been at the helm."
The Duke of Cornwall’s Award, sponsored by Savills & Trees Please, saw a good range of sites and Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) was a recurring theme amongst several entrants. At Morton Hall Estate, the late Bill Mason, who sadly passed away in June of this year, was one of the early adopters to the system utilising small gap planting and Anderson group planting for oaks, allowing the judges to see the results from decades of dedication. Bill Mason’s daughter, Andrea, and granddaughter, Nesta, have taken the wheel, continuing resilient woodland management into the next generation.
Judges praised the wide range of species being grown in the impressive Pinetum and the clear market ideas and investment that support the economic sustainability. The system of silviculture was constantly modified in light of experience and events, with Bill Mason’s family saying:
“Bill was a forester to his core and he loved to share his knowledge. He always said that trees were pretty forgiving, that when thinning hindsight is always clearer, and that the thing to do is just to get stuck in and try.”
“It was always a fantastic education for me, touring the estates woodlands with Bill. I hope to continue to make a positive contribution… The forest management will continue to enhance the resilience of the woodlands against climate change and other hazards so that they can provide multiple benefits for future generations” – Josh Robinson, Forestry Supervisor.
Monitoring of plant and bird species, as well as deer, squirrel, and rabbit control measures, will continue to contribute to the biodiversity of the Estate, and as a significant area of new planting is planned the woodland area will be further boosted.
Silver winners: Sennowe Forest
"Another generation bringing new ideas, bodes well for the future of the woods at Sennowe and the crops Thomas Cook has nurtured over the past years."
Sennowe Forest, owned and managed by Thomas Cook alongside Fergus Williams, was another early adopter of CCF and the judges saw a wide variety of conifer and broadleaf species. It relies primarily on natural regeneration for restocking but also includes an impressive stand of coast redwoods which are often used for educating visiting school groups. The dedication to sustainable and resilient forestry is clear in Thomas Cook’s own words: “Monoculture and clear felling is destructive to the micro climate and damages soil structure. CCF creates the best soil structure and uninterrupted microclimate. Furthermore it is ecologically beneficial and protects and fosters wildlife of all forest species.”
The judges praised the careful marketing to secure economic resilience, exploiting internal and external markets, as well as the aim to look into “future uses for wood products… particularly in relation to soil health and carbon capture.”
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