A pioneering partnership between A Healthier Earth and Blenheim Estate
ForestFactory® is an innovative partnership between A Healthier Earth and Blenheim Estate that uses a first-of-its-kind, science-led approach to deliver high quality trees, faster.
Combining vertical farming technology with precision horticulture and biochar application, ForestFactory® cultivates trees engineered for resilience.
ForestFactory® is made up of two core elements:
Vertical farming
We’ve established an autonomous vertical farm within Blenheim Palace’s Walled Garden, creating a bespoke R&D facility that uses automated systems to control lighting, temperature, humidity, and irrigation. This space-efficient, smart-controlled system grows seedlings in stacked layers using a tailored “growing recipe” to enhance tree resilience - modifying light, nutrients, and environmental conditions to influence root and stem development. These “growing recipes” are the result of years of research and development from an expert team of plant scientists and forestry specialists at A Healthier Earth and Blenheim Palace. Each recipe can be adapted for specific environments and climates, giving the potential for ForestFactory® to be applied globally.
Biochar
To improve soil quality and support seedling growth, we’ve tested planting seedlings in biochar - a carbon-rich material produced when waste organic materials are heated to temperatures above 400°C with little or no oxygen in a process called ‘pyrolysis’. Recognised by the IPCC as a carbon removal technology, biochar enhances soil fertility and water retention while sequestering carbon for centuries.
Since 2023, ForestFactory® has produced over 50,000 seedlings, with field trials showing saplings grow four times faster and are significantly more resilient than conventional, nursery-grown stock, indicated by the sturdiness of the sapling.
We’re now aiming to scale ForestFactory® to produce a minimum of two million seedlings per year.
This partnership reflects A Healthier Earth’s philosophy to partnerships: to exponentially grow impact by working with others. By combining our plant and climate science expertise, commercial insight, and the capital to test and scale the concept with Blenheim Palace’s forestry knowledge and access to land, we are creating scalable, climate-resilient solutions with measurable benefits for the forestry industry and beyond.
The benefits of ForestFactory® saplings
Seedlings grow 4x faster than nursery-grown equivalents
Larger stem diameters and more robust root systems, indicating greater resilience
Trees grown in biochar-treated soil showed significantly greater height growth
Vertical farming trials show that ForestFactory® seedlings grow four times faster than those from conventional nurseries. They also develop larger stem diameters and more robust root systems, indicating greater resilience.
Biochar trials have involved planting 250 Oak, Wild Cherry, Sycamore, and Norway Maple seedlings across four sites on the estate – half with biochar and half without. Over seven months in 2024, Cherry and Maple trees grown in biochar-treated soil showed significantly greater height growth than those planted without it.
“A Healthier Earth is a fantastic partner to help us deliver our ambitious sustainability targets and protect one of our most precious assets: our forests. Our partnership is so effective because it combines our skills in forestry and landed estate management, with AHE’s climate technology and research and development expertise.
The result is a synergy that can make a significant impact in forestry and sustainability industries. We’re continuing our success and working towards scaling ForestFactory® to help other landed estates and landowners across the UK.”
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