Glandwr Forest is an award-winning broadleaf forest near Llandovery, Wales. Mature hedgerow trees and hedgerows connect a mosaic of habitats including newly planted trees, semi-ancient woodland, species-rich meadows and peat. This connectivity is important for the species that are already here; and prepares the landscape for those that may arrive in future.
Our Carbon Study is the flagship research project at Glandwr Forest. The study, designed together with leading scientists, looks at two types of forest, broadleaf and conifer, and two nature-based interventions, enhanced rock weathering and microbiome enrichment, to see how they impact tree resilience, tree growth and carbon sequestration above and belowground.
The facility has become a hub for research and innovation, with Master's and PhD students from several universities conducting studies on-site. A thriving program of events and volunteering includes: educational opportunities, nature walks, and citizen science where people can learn new skills and make a direct contribution to environmental research.
Read moreThe Glandwr Forest Carbon Study was designed in partnership with leading scientists from Imperial College London, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the University of Sheffield, and ETH Zurich. The largest field trial of its kind in the world, the study includes 72 individually managed research plots across 11.5 hectares of Welsh hillside.
The study looks at two strategies to increase forest carbon capture: enhanced rock weathering via addition of crushed silicate rock, and modification of the soil microbiome in two types of forests, broadleaf and conifer.
Initial findings on aboveground carbon stock have been published in Communications Sustainability show that the addition of silicate rock (basalt) augmented aboveground carbon stock by 27% in native broadleaf woodland in the first four years post planting.
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