Land has been acquired on the Somerset and Devon border to start our fourth UK woodland, Somercombe Wood.  As with all the other woods, we will plant a mixture of native broadleafed trees, and once completed and suitably matured, it will be turned into a community woodland for all to enjoy and managed by a charitable trust.

Somercombe Wood is co2balance’s latest woodland and is located in the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) near Hemyock.  It is believed to take its name from the old Saxon word for Summer ‘Samiaco’, from which the name Hemyock is believed to be derived.

At 35 acres, it is one of co2balance’s larger plantations and incorporates 5 acres of mature woods and wetland.  The Madford River forms the southern boundary and the land is broken up by mature hedgerows and several small, revegetated quarries.

Of particular interest to co2balance is the fact that the 35 acre plantation will link two much larger areas of woodland to form a single unit in excess of 200 acres, a sizeable forest.  Connecting up valuable habitat is a key goal of the Wildlife Trusts so that safe corridors for wildlife are constructed.