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Forestry workers at Chatsworth have begun a new project in recent weeks as they look to plant 25,000 trees in one of Derbyshire’s most famous woodland landscapes.

The estate staff want to improve the diversity of Stand Wood, which covers the steep hill behind Chatsworth House, by planting a much wider variety of species including oak, hornbeam, birch, alder, sycamore and yew trees across its 383 acres.

Forestry manager John Everitt said: “We have records showing the woodland has been planted and replanted many times over the centuries. It’s part of the natural cycle with older trees and plants replaced with new growth – the trees we have recently replanted will soon grow to create a mature woodland again.”

All of the saplings have been grown in UK nurseries and while different species grow at different rates, most of the tree canopy is expected to be above head height in the next 10-15 years.

Former Chatsworth forester Brian Gilbert at work on the site in 1963.

The replanting should help make Stand Wood more disease-resistant, and will replace around 5,500 larch and sweet chestnut trees which had to be felled after an outbreak of a water mould called Phytophthora ramorum.

The disease affects bark and foliage and usually leads to death, particularly in larch, so those trees affected were cut down to help prevent further spread to other areas of the estate and neighbouring land.

As John points out, such projects are a periodic feature of life on the estate. Parts of Stand Wood have probably been wooded since at least Medieval times, but old paintings of Chatsworth show that the hillside behind the house was completely devoid of trees until it was replanted in the 18th century.

Several beech trees are still standing from that time, but the woodland has undergone partial felling and replanting on a number of occasions since.

Brian recreated the photo when he stopped by recently to meet those forestry workers following in his footsteps.

John said: “One of our retired foresters, Brian Gilbert, recently brought in some photos of him working in Stand Wood in the early 1960s. One particular photo caught my attention and shows a young Brian with a piece of pine pit wood slung over his shoulder, probably for use in the collieries that were such an important part of the local economy.

“He’s stood on the road between the Hunting Tower and Park Gate Farm, with the timber on his shoulder being felled from the top side of the track as part of a gale tidy up during a bad winter in February 1963.

“In the background of the picture are young larch, beech, oak and sweet chestnut trees planted following wartime felling. These are the same larch and sweet chestnut trees which we have recently had to fell as mature trees due to the Phytophthora outbreak.”

Comprising nearly 4,000 acres, Chatsworth’s woodlands sequester the equivalent of around 8,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent a year – which Chatsworth calculates to be almost four times the annual emissions from owned and operated property across its whole portfolio.

Stand Wood is familiar to millions of people who have visited Chatsworth over the years, forming the picturesque background to views of the house.

The woodlands are managed under the UK Woodland Assurance Standard, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and audited annually to ensure Chatsworth is operating to the highest industry standards.

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Chatsworth foresters begin planting 25,000 new trees in historic woodland

Support your Derbyshire Times by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe.