Johnsons Nurseries supplies The Swinton Estate

Accredited Supplier, Johnsons Nurseries, has supplied 29,000 woodland trees and whips to the 20,000-acre Swinton Estate in Masham, North Yorkshire, to create new woodlands in the north of England.

Over 30 varieties of trees were supplied to the Estate, via The DTMS Group, which has been contracted to deliver the landscaping for the project. The varieties included Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies, Sorbus aucuparia, Quercus robur, Salix caprea, and Acer campestre.

Trees were specifically selected and sited for water and biodiversity improvements and for their many climate benefits from providing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide to providing resources and habitat to wildlife.

Funding for this project has come from the White Rose Forest via their Trees for Climate programme, part of the Government’s Nature for Climate Fund. The White Rose Forest is the Community Forest for North and West Yorkshire and works with landowners, businesses and communities across the region to provide support and funding for woodland creation projects that will benefit communities and the environment. 

Established in 1921, Johnsons Nurseries brings extensive expertise in contract growing for large-scale hotel developments. They have supplied substantial quantities of plants to renowned establishments such as Seaham Hall in Durham, Grantley Hall in Ripon, Another Place in Ullswater, and The Torridon, a luxurious 5-star hotel in the Scottish Highlands.

Eleanor Richardson, the marketing manager at Johnsons Nurseries, expressed enthusiasm for their involvement in the project alongside Swinton Estate, The DTMS Group, and the White Rose Forest.

Will Richardson, Forestry Advisor to the Swinton Estate said:

“'The Swinton Estate have a long-term ambition to increase tree cover by 50% over the next 20 years, creating around 350ha of new mixed woodland and wood pasture. This is driven by a desire to improve sustainability and nature conservation across the estate, sequester carbon and to produce sustainable crops of timber in years to come.

This has been the first phase of this programme, and we are delighted with the contributions made by the White Rose Forest, DTMS as contractors and Johnsons as tree suppliers in helping us to deliver this. We very much look forward to seeing the new woodland thrive and mature over the years.”

Dan Lazenby, the Managing Director of DTMS Group, expressed excitement about the challenge of planting a significant number of trees with a looming deadline. Despite facing difficult conditions, the team successfully accomplished the task and received favourable feedback from their client, Swinton Estate.

Dan emphasised the value of the project, noting its role in staff development, including their Horticulture apprentice. He also expressed a willingness to collaborate with other local businesses, particularly when it involves environmental enhancement.