Duchy of Cornwall doubles Black‑a‑Tor & Wistman’s Wood
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- Duchy of Cornwall announced a target to double the extent of its managed Atlantic rainforest on Dartmoor, specifically Black‑a‑Tor and Wistman’s Wood, by the early 2040s.
- Black‑a‑Tor copse is a 29‑hectare ancient oak woodland, a rare European temperate rainforest fragment dating to the Bronze Age, now degraded by decades of livestock grazing.
- Dartmoor Nature Alliance (DNA) is campaigning to double temperate rainforest across the national park and urges exclusion of grazing to enable natural regeneration.
- UK Government earmarked £30 million in ring‑fenced funding for wildlife‑rich habitat creation and ancient woodland restoration through the farming in protected landscapes fund.
- Natural England installed metal cactus guards around young oak saplings at Black‑a‑Tor and released a report warning that livestock browsing suppresses recruitment, concluding that expanding woodland cover is essential.
- Moor Trees collected 800 acorns from Black‑a‑Tor, grew them in a nursery, and has already planted 1,200 saplings at Wistman’s Wood, supporting the Duchy’s regeneration goal.
- Okehampton commoners hold grazing rights over the land surrounding Black‑a‑Tor, meaning any expansion will require their participation in management solutions.
Why it matters: The expansion will boost the survival of rare temperate rainforest habitats, benefiting biodiversity and heritage while requiring grazing rights holders to alter land‑use practices; the £30 million government grant and private planting initiatives provide the resources needed for this ecological restoration.
