ForestFactory® is featured on BBC Countryfile at Blenheim Palace
On Sunday 1 February 2026, our ForestFactory® featured in a special episode of Countryfile on BBC One, all about Blenheim Palace and the incredible work underway to protect its future.
In the episode, our Lead Scientist, Dr Sally Wilkinson, and Kirstie Radcliffe, the Vertical Farm Operations Lead at Blenheim Palace, showed the presenter, John Craven, how we’re using vertical farming and biochar to tackle low seedling survival rates and plant trees at scale to safeguard the ancient oaks on the Blenheim estate.
Dr Sally Wilkinson compares a traditionally grown sapling (left) with a ForestFactory‑grown sapling (right), highlighting the significantly larger root system of the ForestFactory plant.
Traditional Sapling
ForestFactory® Sapling
What is ForestFactory®?
ForestFactory® is a first‑of‑its‑kind solution created in partnership with Blenheim Palace. It focuses on tree survivability, speed of sapling readiness for planting, and scalability, growing trees that are sturdier, grow four-times faster, and are better suited to changing climates than nursery grown equivalents.
Since 2023, we’ve grown over 50,000 seedlings, and we’re now aiming to scale ForestFactory® to produce a minimum of two million seedlings per year, enabling us to support even more landowners and forestry managers.
Why is a data centre company investing in this project?
As the R&D subsidiary of Pure Data Centres Group, this might not be a project you would typically expect a data centre company to invest in. But together, we’re proving what’s possible when industrial infrastructure leans into environmental responsibility.
Pure DC’s investment in ForestFactory® is already supporting large‑scale reforestation across the Blenheim Estate, and we’re taking it further.
The very same ForestFactory®‑grown saplings are being planted in urban forests across the communities where Pure DC operates, such as Barnet, delivering environmental benefits and creating greener, healthier neighbourhoods.
