Plant One Cornwall: Increasing biodiversity in Cornwall, one tree at a time

While landowners are entitled to a large grant to cover the cost of tree planting, they only get paid after the work has been finished, which can deter them from even applying. Plant One Cornwall has stepped in to help… 

Social Need  

Britain may once have been a ‘green and pleasant land’, but it’s now one of the most nature-depleted countries in Europe. Just 13% of the UK is still covered by trees and many of those trees are conifers used for forestry, rather than native species.

Planting trees and regularly monitoring them to ensure they get established can be expensive. Landowners can apply for a government grant to cover the cost, but they don’t receive the funds until the planting is complete, meaning they have to pay out tens of thousands of pounds up front – something which many people can’t afford to do.  

Organisation 

Plant One Cornwall is bringing landowners, businesses and individuals together to increase Cornwall’s native forests. The community interest company (CIC) arranges tree planting days, assesses potential planting sites, offers advice on what to plant where, and empowers the community to plant trees where they’re most needed. 

Loan 

Recognising that many landowners were being deterred from planting trees due to the upfront costs, Plant One Cornwall applied to Charity Bank for a £60,000 loan. The organisation is using that loan to provide bridging finance to buy trees and arrange planting without the landowner having to paying anything. Once the grant money has been received, Plant One Cornwall recycles the funds to support its next project.  

Impact  

Plant One Cornwall has already been able to plant and care for an extra 18,000 trees thanks to its Charity Bank loan. They are also able to offer expert advice and support, which landowners may otherwise miss out on if they plant on their own. This helps to ensure that the right mix of trees are planted in the right place, and that they’re cared for until they’re fully established, reducing the risk of them dying before maturity. Plant One Cornwall encourages landowners to open up sections of the land for public access, wherever possible.  

The CIC has also been able to hire more contractors, train more people and offer more corporate partnership days to raise awareness and appreciation for forests. 

Plant One Cornwall has also been able to hire more contractors, train more people and offer more corporate partnership days to raise awareness and appreciation for forests. 

“We’ve been able to plant an extra 18,000 trees so far. There’s absolutely no chance that we, as a tiny organisation with no external funding, would possibly have been able to plant those trees without the help of Charity Bank. When you’re dealing with an organisation whose very purpose is to do something positive, it’s a different experience than applying for a loan from a big bank. With Charity Bank, it felt like they actually cared about what we’re doing.” 

Jack Horlick, Finance Director and Carbon Manager at Plant One Cornwall