Willow Project – Winter 2024/25 Update

We’re excited to share the latest news from Hutchins, the field where our willow planting project began this year in partnership with the team at Lodge Farm, Essex.

While 2024 has been a challenging year for establishing young willow, it’s a testament to the resilience of both perennial crops and the farmers we work with that the project is still progressing with a clear plan for the months ahead.

Also, a thought goes out to all farmers in the UK who've struggled due to the weather. A further reminder of the importance of all our efforts to tackle climate change.

Planting Progress & Weather Challenges

The willow was planted this past June — around 2–3 months later than ideal — due to a delayed start. Following planting, we saw an immediate swing to wet weather, which proved to be both a blessing and a limitation:

• The moisture helped the rods that were successfully planted using the mechanical planter to take root.

• However, the saturated soil made it impossible to return to the field manually and insert the remaining rods that hadn’t made it into the ground during the mechanical pass.

This restricted access also meant that weed control had to be delayed, allowing weeds to become well-established. On top of that, local deer populations have grazed some of the newly planted willow, further impacting early establishment.

A newly planted willow rod, slowly establishing itself.

The Plan Moving Forward

With ground conditions now improved, the Lodge Farm team has been able to cultivate between the rows, helping to suppress weed pressure. Looking ahead, the plan is:

• Monitor the field over the winter

• Gap-up the planting in spring — replanting missing trees by hand to boost establishment

• Leverage the advantage of willow as a perennial crop, which offers multiple chances for establishment across seasons

As the partner rightly said, “the beauty of a perennial crop is at least you have a few attempts at establishing it!"