Pennyhill Park

This site faces a number of challenges, including deer, flooding and dense gorse. The trees planted amongst the gorse have fared moderately well in some places, thanks to our maintenance visits, but others did less well. This area in particular will need regular ongoing management and a restock in due course.

The more open areas have done better, especially where we restocked earlier in the year, with a number of healthy trees poking out of the top of their guards. However, the ground here is exceptionally dry and it was sad to see dead trees that had obviously been growing well before this exceptionally hot summer. We also saw several deer on our visit. This area will need a few new saplings to fill in the gaps.

Better news was the numerous signs of natural regeneration. These saplings tend to be hardier and more likely to survive drought conditions. We will be checking on them on our next visit.

We returned to Pennyhill in March 2026 to restock the trees after a very dry summer the previous year. Joining us were volunteers from Chillibob and their clients from Acer. We were even able to accommodate one volunteer who is a wheelchair user thanks to help from the hotel. Hotel staff also volunteered again, and together with Phil they planted the new trees. The hotel provided a buffet lunch for the volunteers which was highly appreciated by everyone!

In total we planted 545 new trees, all with stakes and guards. We then revisited the trees we had planted previously, carrying out some basic maintenance to make sure that they continue to do well.

A survival rate survey at Pennyhill Woodland carried out in July 2025 shows mixed results, with differences in how well different species are establishing across the site.

Across the full sample of 120 trees, 68 were recorded as alive and 52 dead, giving an overall survival rate of approximately 57%. This equates to an estimated 710 dead trees across the full planting of 1,650.

In the lower meadow area, results were evenly split with 25 alive and 25 dead. Beech trees in this area are performing less well, while oak is establishing more successfully.

In the former 6th fairway area, 32 out of 50 trees were alive, giving a 64% survival rate. Ash and hornbeam are performing well here, while pine is showing weaker establishment.

In the smaller third area, 11 out of 20 trees were alive, giving a 55% survival rate. Hornbeam and cherry are both performing well in this section.

Overall, results indicate mixed establishment across the site, with clear differences between species and planting areas that will help inform future management and any required restocking.

Pennyhill Park Hotel was the third in the Exclusive Hotels chain we have planted for. We created two small woodlands in the hotel’s grounds with 1,650 trees and shrubs; the plants were a mix of native broadleaf species suitable for the conditions, along with some Scots Pine. Hotel staff members volunteered in three-hour shifts and volunteers from Total Active Hub also joined us for half a day to help with the planting. They all appreciated the excellent refreshments and lunch provided by the hotel.

Trees were planted with 3m spacing but avoiding rows, lines and any uniformity with small clearings or glades. There was a mix of 90 per cent tree species and 10 per cent shrub species to create a natural looking woodland with a canopy of taller trees and shrub understory. We were very lucky with the weather with beautiful sunshine on the first day. Clouds rolled in on the second day but it remained dry and we were finished by lunchtime.

Our contact at the hotel said “The information beforehand was really great, Steve and Andy on the day were very helpful and explained everything well. Thank you”

The volunteers from Total Active Hub had a good time. “It's an absolute pleasure, we had such a fantastic morning. We had such positive feedback from our volunteers regarding the day so we'll certainly be looking to volunteer and do more with you in the future.”