The National Trust at Killterton have just completed an 18-month project to improve and expand nature habitats on the estate. 

The project, funded by the government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund, included reconnecting the river Culm with its floodplain to reduce flooding downstream and restore nature. 

 It also saw the restoration of seven acres of species rich wildflower meadow, five km of hedgerows and the planting around 70,000 trees to create 45 acres of new woodland, 12 acres of agroforestry, 99 acres of wood pasture and 200 new trees in existing hedgerows.    

 The project has received national recognition in the form of the Countryside Management Association’s 2022 Gordon Miller Award which has been presented jointly to the National Trust team at Killerton, and Dartmoor National Park.  

 The work lays the foundations for a 50-year vision for the estate at Killerton but wildlife is already beginning to reap the benefits with species such as heron, little egret and kestrels thriving in the newly created wetland area, and many species of pollinators busy at work this summer in the 3 hectares (7 acres) of restored wildflower meadow that sit alongside the floodplain.   

 Longer term the work will help to ensure the estate at Killerton evolves to capture more carbon and that the land, wildlife and livestock are better able to cope with the extreme weather events brought by climate change.  

 Phillip Smart, general manager at Killerton, said “In under 18 months our rangers, volunteers, and partners have given the 2,600-hectare (6,400-acre) lowland estate at Killerton a real nature boost. We are thrilled that their hard work and dedication has been recognised by the Gordon Miller Award as an outstanding contribution to countryside greenspace management.”  

 “Working through some really challenging conditions over this last year, this has been a truly monumental effort that will make Killerton a greener, healthier, and more beautiful place for hundreds of years to come.”  

 Matthew Lewis, National Trust land, outdoors and nature project manager said: “The newly created wetland areas on the estate are helping us to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss by capturing carbon and encouraging dragonflies, beetles, and other water-borne invertebrates back to the landscape. These seasonal wetlands also play a key role in natural flood management, holding water on the land for longer and slowing the flow of flood waters during periods of heavy rain.”