The first UK organisation to achieve FSC Verified Impact certification for ecosystem services, setting a new benchmark for transparent, evidence-based forest stewardship
The Woodland Trust has become the first major landowner in the UK to achieve independent verification of how its woodland creation and management activities contribute to restoring and protecting water and soil ecosystems.
Forests provide vital ecosystem services, creating conditions for clean water, flood management and healthy soils. The Trust’s verified outcomes demonstrate how well-designed tree planting can stabilise slopes, reduce erosion, increase soil organic matter and improve water retention across both upland and lowland landscapes.
Two flagship sites formed part of the assessment. At Snaizeholme in the Yorkshire Dales, a 1,387-acre landscape restoration project is reconnecting woodland, peatland and riverside habitats to improve catchment resilience and biodiversity. In South Wales, at Brynau Farm near Neath, new woodland is linking fragments of ancient forest while delivering natural flood management and soil restoration benefits for local communities.
Both projects show how woodland creation can complement other land uses to deliver wider landscape value. By restoring degraded soils and slowing overland water flow, these interventions help reduce downstream flood risk while enhancing biodiversity and carbon storage. The verification process provides an evidence base to track these outcomes over time and demonstrate the role of woodlands in building climate resilience.
