Imagine being a landowner, looking forward to the day your new woodland takes root, knowing you’ll get to watch it grow for years to come. You’ve been told the saplings are on their way, and volunteers are signing up to help bring the planting to life.
Then, it turns chaotic. The nursery can’t deliver the saplings. Then they can—but they send them to the wrong address without warning. Then, on the big day, no volunteers show up. Things go wrong. This happened to us. But circumstances beyond our control couldn’t daunt us or the landowner. We still got the trees in the ground, and the landowner was so pleased they now want to keep expanding their woodland.
Every Project Has Its Challenges
A landowner in Mid-Wales approached Protect Earth to help turn 1.4 acres of land into new woodland. As always, Steve from Ecologist mapped out a plan, selecting species suited to the site’s environment, soil quality, and long-term resilience. Based on his survey, a woodland comprised of 800 saplings was planned. We source our saplings carefully, prioritising local nurseries that use seeds adapted to the area—giving the trees the best chance to thrive.
Alongside sourcing trees, we invite the local community to get involved. Kathy, our coordinator, does a great job spreading the word, and there’d be a solid turnout for this project. Community tree planting is always rewarding—getting outdoors, creating green spaces, and meeting new people add to the experience. Everything was set, and we were counting down to planting day.
Then, the setbacks rolled in. A cold snap froze the ground, delaying sapling collection. When the nursery could finally lift them, they were hit with staff shortages, meaning our order was at risk. We worked with them to keep things on track—until the final hurdle: the trees were delivered to the wrong address. The landowner had only recently moved in and didn’t know their neighbours, so it became a bit of a wild goose chase. Thankfully, one neighbour realised they hadn’t ordered 800 saplings and kindly brought them over in their trailer—just in time, at 3:30 pm the day before planting.
At last, everything was in place. Then, come Saturday morning, none of the signed-up volunteers arrived. This is rare, but we cracked on, planting half the trees on day one. Kathy rallied three volunteers for day two, and we got the job done together.
To Sum Up
Very few of our projects unfold like this. But whatever happens—whether it’s a delay of hours due to weather or a few days due to a named storm—we always see it through. This Mid-Wales project threw a few extra challenges our way, but it’s planted and growing, and the landowner is already talking about what’s next.