What is Natural Capital?
Natural capital is the stock of natural resources - such as plants, animals, air, water, woods, soils and minerals.
Natural Capital
Why is Natural Capital important?
Our vision is to manage the Estate by balancing environmental, social and economic needs. By analysing our natural capital we can create a strategy to help us achieve this ‘Triple Bottom Line’ philosophy.
How did we assess our Natural Capital?
The Estate commissioned 3DRural and Cumulus Consultants to undertake an in-depth audit of all natural capital on the Estate.
What have we discovered?
This audit has provided us with a highly detailed record of all our natural assets from hedges to ponds, trees to flood zones and soils to wildlife habitats.
What will our future strategy be?
The findings from our natural capital audit will help us to develop a 20-year environmental strategy from which we can improve our long-term resilience, introduce evidence-based decision-making and objectively enhance the Estate for the next generation.
This long-term environmental commitment will require careful ongoing management and annual reviews to ensure we are on target.
Our Environmental Strategy
As a steward of the land we have a moral obligation to care for the earth and the waterways on the Estate, to engage in responsible farming, to nurture wildlife and to give back to Nature.
It is vital for us to establish more hedges, plant new trees and to improve water quality.
Join Us
Come and join our growing group of local volunteers to help us identify specific insects, birds and plants on the Estate or perhaps plant some trees with us. If you are interested in getting involved or finding out more, please email Barnston Estate Manager, Edward Barnston, at: ed@barnstonestate.com
Forestry
The Estate operates a 10-year woodland management plan in conjunction with Tilhill Forestry. Their support covers a broad remit from woodland creation to management of existing commercial forestry blocks and also considering impacts on carbon and biodiversity.
Commercial forestry stocks include Norway spruce, Douglas fir, European larch and Poplar, with native broadleaf species on all woodland. Each year we commercially fell thousands of tons of wood for a variety of end-uses, including residential cladding and timber frame structures as well as for the pallet, chipboard and biomass market.
For sustainability, over 11,000 trees were planted in 2024 alone
to create 25 acres of new woodland. We are now embarking on a ‘Deescapes
Partnership’ project to plant 7.5km riparian corridor along the River Dee to
boost flood resilience and biodiversity.
The Barnston bees
Beekeeping is the oldest, highest form of agriculture and much of our daily food is highly reliant on bee pollination.
As pollinators, bees play a crucial part in every aspect of the ecosystem which is why we have established our own colony of bees on the Estate.
Edward Barnston, a keen beekeeper, introduced the first beehives onto the Estate in 2015, and we now have 85 beehives all helping to promote pollination across gardens, hedges, orchards and farmland.
As a land steward there is a simplicity in recognising the need to not battle but to collaborate with Mother Nature and enhance the natural capital in our small corner of the world for future generations.