Making their own mark on the future landscape, Grown in Britain (GiB) staff, supporters and licence-holders came together to begin planting the Grown in Britain Grove, part of the Sylva Foundation’s Future Forest, in Oxfordshire on 10 February.

Some 300 productive tree saplings were planted during the day, which also included a tour of the Sylva Centre. The Centre is clad in thermally-modified home-grown sycamore and ash, financed through a research grant from GiB.

“The Grown in Britain Grove is a focus point for celebrating the future of British timber,” said the campaign’s chief executive officer, Dougal Driver. “Many of our licence holders are forest owners and sawmillers in their own right, already contributing to the future of Britain’s productive forests through their re-planting programmes. We want the Grown in Britain Grove to be somewhere that licence-holders further along the supply chain, in joinery manufacturing, construction and retailing, can come, participate in planting, and feel part of the continuing story of sustainable British woodlands and timber production,” Mr Driver affirmed.

The Grove is financed through donations to GiB, and the campaign is particularly grateful to Orpago bespoke furniture and Vastern Timber for their contributions.

Picture caption: L-r: John Weir, Forestry Commission; Laura Sceal, GiB; Judith Millidge, Small Woodland Owners Group; Helen Bentley-Fox, GiB; Dougal Driver, GiB; Tom Barnes, Vastern Timber; Dr Gabriel Hemery, Sylva Foundation (seated); William Jackson, Certainly Wood; Jen Hurst, Sylva Foundation.