St Kew's Forest
Restoring endangered temperate rainforests.
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Trees
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Square Meters
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Native Species
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Youth Impacted
Self sustaining pocket forest
St Kew’s Forest serves the community of St Kew’s Primary, a quintessentially English rural school that brings together children from several local villages. The project created a critical pocket of temperate rainforest, a now fragmented and rare ecosystem that once predominated along the west coast of the UK. It thrived thanks to the Gulf Stream, which provides mild, damp conditions that are ideal for rainforest biodiversity to flourish.
St Kew’s Forest has reached self-sustaining status, growing both in density and height. It fulfills the role of as part of a fragmented rainforest much like Bodmin Moor a short distance away. The students have benefited from exploring this forest's unique species and will, in time, benefit from exploring its full potential at maturity, when the ‘green on green’ habitats of Moss, Lichen and Liverworts colonising the forest.
Forest Maker
James Godfrey-Faussett
Forest Partner
Ecosystem Restored
Final report: 16.10.2025
After approximately three years our SUGi Pocket Forests become self-sustaining. They no longer require human maintenance or watering, and can be handed over to Nature for biodiversity and complexity to naturally develop.
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Survival Rate
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People living within 300 meters
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kg of potential CO2 sequestration
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is all the different kinds of life you'll find in one area—the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world. Each of these species and organisms work together in ecosystems, like an intricate web, to maintain balance and support life.
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Potential number of mammals
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Potential number of birds
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Potential number of amphibians
Forest Report: 2024
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Forest Age
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Survival Rate
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Average of 3 Tallest Trees
The forest continues growing well, even though it sits in a challenging location - exposed to wind, with little vegetation around it to shield the young plants from the elements. The oak trees, in particular, have put on more than a meter of height in just one year. The forest is showing signs of great soil health, with early signs of a robust mushroom network developing.
Biodiversity:
Forest Report: 2023
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Forest Age
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Survival Rate
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Average of Tallest 3 Trees
For such an exposed site, the oaks in particular are doing well. This shows good soil fungal potential.
Planting: June 2022
Why St. Kew's Forest?
Once abundant, there are only 1% of these ecosystems left due to generations of deforestation and felling. These rainforests are now classified as one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world.
Together with the creation of a second pocket of temperate forest at the nearby Trevisker Primary, not only will this project provide a much needed boost to the ecosystem’s survival but it will also show school communities across the region how rainforest biodiversity can thrive on their doorstep. The children will have hands-on experience during the planting and the forest itself will become a living resource that grows up alongside the children.
