Forestry
Matfen Estates Forestry
The Matfen Estate has around 550 acres of woodland. The woodland is managed by the Farming partnership and is a mix of commercial plantation and traditional mixed species amenity woodland.
The woodland is managed to balance productivity with the creation and maintenance of habitat for a range of species including Red Squirrels and Roe Deer as well as the preservation of a cohort of veteran trees.
Commercial Forestry
Through a programme of thinning we produce around 500t of timber on an annual basis, some of which is sold to be sawn into a range of materials while the lower quality timber is seasoned, chipped and burnt in our biomass boilers.
Woodland Creation
In the early 2000’s the Estate undertook a major woodland planting scheme creating around 200 acres of mixed commercial and amenity woodland.
More recently the Estate has planted a further 15 acres of woodland, helping to absorb atmospheric Carbon Dioxide while also providing fuel and building materials for the future
Biomass
Matfen Estates owns and operates and Energy Company using three wood chip biomass boilers and four wood pellet biomass boilers to produce heat for a range of homes and businesses around the Estate.
A large proportion of the wood chip is grown, harvested and chipped on site with the balance being sourced locally.
Farming
Environmental
The management of land in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way is paramount to the owners of the Matfen Estate.