Prince William has visited Wistman’s Wood on Dartmoor following the Duchy of Cornwall revealing plans to regenerate and expand the woodland, doubling its size by 2040.

The Duchy of Cornwall has been working with its agricultural tenants, with Natural England and consulting with the Dartmoor National Park Authority for over two years, to develop a landscape scale plan to expand Wistman’s Wood to bring about its increased resilience.

Wistman’s Wood is an ancient oak woodland which covers over three hectares of the West Dart Valley on Dartmoor, Devon. It is a National Nature Reserve (NNR), a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in recognition of its significance for nature conservation. It is often referred to as one of the South West’s last remaining examples of temperate rainforest.

The woodland contains very rare Atlantic mosses and lichens, but Wistman’s is a small and isolated remnant, making the woodland vulnerable to risks like fire, disease and climate change, increasing the need to carefully improve its resilience. The Duchy aims to regenerate and at least double the size of Wistman’s by 2040, including expanding wood-pasture habitat.

The regeneration and expansion plans are part of The Duchy of Cornwall’s vision of Sustainable Stewardship – for Communities, Enterprise and Nature. The Estate has been and will continue to work to achieve its sustainability goal of a net zero and nature rich Estate with farming playing an instrumental role in the delivery, driven forward by Prince William.

Other sustainability projects on Dartmoor include a Curlew Recovery Project; a conservation initiative to protect and enhance the number of Curlew on Dartmoor; and the Hay Meadow Restoration Project, where the Duchy is recreating flower rich, traditional hay meadow grassland. In addition, the Duchy is working in partnership with the South West Peatland Partnership to help deliver 800 hectares of peatland restoration which has multiple benefits for carbon storage, biodiversity, water quality and flow.

John Malseed, Duchy of Cornwall Tenant Farmer at Cherrybrook and Longaford Newtake who is working closely with the Duchy to ensure the Wistman’s Wood regeneration plan comes to fruition says: “My role within this project is to provide grazing tools in the form of native upland cattle and ponies. The cattle, utilising the NoFence collars, will allow me to target their grazing and play my part in achieving the vision of the Wistman’s Wood Management Plan, while still being able to farm in a sustainable manner.”

Nine hectares of new wood pasture will be created on the west side of the River Dart immediately opposite Wistman’s Wood, with more areas proposed further along the riparian corridor across other Duchy farms.

Improved surfacing of 1,000 metres of the existing public footpath to create enhanced and better structured public access with updated interpretation information available to the visiting public.

David Cope, Head of Sustainability, The Duchy of Cornwall says: “Wistman’s Wood is an incredibly special place for both nature and people. The woodland provides a home for some very rare species, making this work extremely important for our goal of a net zero and nature-rich estate.

"The expansion of Wistman’s Wood and creation of additional wood pasture is only possible because we’ve developed our plans in partnership with our farm tenants, Natural England and the Dartmoor National Park Authority over the past two years.The Duchy of Cornwall’s vision has been and remains to be Sustainable Stewardship – for Communities, Enterprise and Nature. Its sustainability goal is a net zero and nature rich Estate where communities and enterprises flourish in support of a sustainable world.”

Prince William’s visit to South West Duchy land also included opening The Duchy of Cornwall Nursery’s new restaurant, The Orangery, based near Lostwithiel, Cornwall. The Orangery opening follows refurbishment at the Nursery and a brand-new extension, designed to create spaces that can offer sustainable and inspirational visitor experiences.