Situated between Churt and Hindhead, Green Farm supports a little known 80ha wildlife haven. The Green Farm estate, owned by the Countryside Regeneration Trust (CRT), straddles across Haslemere Town Council’s Parish, just north of Beacon Hill, supporting coppiced chestnut woodland and managed pine plantations. Precious pockets of lowland heath (one of the rarest habitats on the planet) are tucked away within this woodland plantation landscape and comprises one of the Town’s most important Wildlife Corridors.

Green Farm has a dedicated team of volunteers who implement an ongoing woodland management plan, while, across the Town boundary in Churt, 12ha of the farm is let to a local grazier, 0.7ha to an enterprise that specialises in growing native flowers and each year volunteers harvest apples from Green Farm orchard, donated to a local company for apple juice and cider production.

The Farm boasts a fantastic variety of wildlife including woodland birds such as woodcock, redpoll and tawny owl. Heathland plants and insects inhabit the Estate, heathland birds such as nightjar and a healthy reptile population monitored by CRT and Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Trust volunteers.

Haslemere Biodiversity Group has mapped out the Haslemere Ecological Network, with this heathland corridor stretching between two internationally important lowland heaths, the Devil’s Punch Bowl (280ha) east of Beacon Hill and Bramshott & Ludshott Common (374ha) west of Beacon Hill. In between these two important sites Haslemere Town is adorned with several heathland jewels, including Gravelly Ridge and Beacon Hill Wood heath managed by CRT, as well as Hindhead Golf Club heathland fairways and Windy Gap, a small National Trust heath. The plantations are currently managed for their timber crop, but over time it is hoped that they can be opened up to accommodate a bracelet of heathland stretching across Beacon Hill to create a linked-up heathland landscape.

If you are interested to get involved with volunteering at Green Farm beautiful landscape do contact the Countryside Regeneration Trust at admin@haslemeretc.org.

If you are interested in getting involved with helping Haslemere Biodiversity Group to monitor the Haslemere Ecological Network (HEN) do contact info@haslemerebiodiversity.org.uk.