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Somerset Tree Strategy
Project Title
Somerset Tree Strategy
Client
Somerset County Council
Year
2023
Type
Filmmaking; Translating technical,;Local timber & landscape solutions; Insights, advice, brokerage
SCOPE:
In 2022, we began working with Somerset County Council to help shape and realise the county’s ambitions for trees and woodlands. The resulting Somerset Tree Strategy, published in 2023, is a bold and passionate call to action. A vision for a county-wide culture of care for trees, forests, and landscapes. Somerset’s varied character, from upland moor to floodplain, rural hamlet to urban corridor, demanded a strategy that could unite these diverse settings under a shared purpose: nurturing a balanced, resilient relationship between people and place. Designed to inspire rather than instruct, the strategy is concise, visually engaging, and rooted in local identity, alongside a framework that sets ambitious yet achievable goals for the next decade.
DELIVERY:
Our role combined facilitation, strategy, and creative storytelling to help Somerset articulate a shared vision for its treescapes. Working closely with the County Council and local partners, we led an inclusive development process that placed community engagement at its heart. Through workshops and conversations, we uncovered the local enthusiasm and expertise already present across the county and helped translate this into a collective sense of purpose.
We structured the strategy to balance evidence-based insight with accessible, actionable goals, interweaving themes of woodland management, urban treescapes, orchards, and new planting. Central to the approach was an emphasis on fostering a tree culture; recognising that sustainable change relies as much on community connection and participation as on technical guidance.
To communicate the vision effectively, we created a short film to accompany the document, distilling its main messages and bringing the people and landscapes of Somerset to life. This work sits alongside our wider landscape-scale projects with CPRE, exploring opportunities in the London Green Belt, wood pasture in protected landscapes, and the future of resilient, sustainable wood supply chains across Europe. Together, these initiatives reflect our commitment to blending strategic thinking with creative communication to inspire meaningful environmental action.
COLLABORATORS:
Exmoor National Park, Forestry Commission, Somerset Local Nature Partnership, Environment Agency, AONB Partnership, Woodland Trust
