Reviving the Black Poplar: Branching Out With the Tree Council

Cold Ashby Golf Centre Goes Green and Plants Rare Trees

By the end of this year Cold Ashby Golf Centre will have planted about 650 new native trees. Our aim was to increase biodiversity, create wildlife habitats, strengthen the playing strategy required for some holes and reinforce its attractive landscape. 

The project has been made possible by The Tree Council’s Branching Out Fund which supports schools, community groups and others across the UK to plant trees, hedges and orchards through exciting projects involving young people from local communities. 

Apart from the more common indigenous species planted, black poplar, Britain’s rarest native timber species has been introduced. It is thought that there are only about 7,000 of these trees left in England and Wales. The black poplar, also known as the water poplar, is imposing and elegant and will become a distinctive feature of the golf course’s landscape. It is the food plant for the caterpillars of many moths; the catkins provide an early source of pollen and nectar for bees and other insects; and the seeds are eaten by birds.

The Centre is committed to achieve sustainable environmental improvements throughout the golf course and in the running of its business. This new planting initiative is a good example of how golf courses can help tackle the climate and nature crises. Trees store carbon, reduce flood risks and improve our air quality, and by planting more we can help grow a greener future. The young people in our community are an amazing force for nature and by planting these new trees in their local areas they will be helping to create a nature-filled legacy for all of us. 

Ashley Hammond, Course Manager at the Centre, said “We are delighted to have finished planting these native trees around the course which has involved the greenkeeping staff, children and volunteer members. They will not only help the environment but strengthen the playing strategy of holes. This marks a further step in improving the quality and appearance of our course”.