Ironhurst Valley Nature Reserve (Furnace & Hoathly Farm)
Ironhurst Valley Nature Reserve (Furnace and Hoathly Farms) is a 125ha area of former productive farmland in the Teise valley, just outside the village of Lamberhurst in the Weald of west Kent. The site is largely arable, with areas of other neutral grassland pasture to the west of the site, and areas of existing lowland mixed deciduous woodland, with the river Teise running through the site west to east. The site will be reverted from arable and pasture to a mix of species rich grassland, wet floodplain meadow, extensions to the lowland mixed deciduous woodland, scrub and also extensive scrubby wood pasture. This will not only achieve significant carbon removals, but also a large uplift in biodiversity and in soil health.
- Total Area (hectares)
- project cost
Ironhurst Valley Nature Reserve video
Our Wilder Carbon projects achieve a multitude of added benefits alongside carbon sequestration and reduction. We pick three unique features of each project to highlight the co-benefits of the projects.
Creating a Connected Wild Landscape
By restoring and linking fragmented habitats to form a wilding corridor across the site will enable wildlife to move freely, expand their range, and thrive. Connecting with existing nature-rich areas such as Scotney Castle, Wadhurst Park, and the Weald to Waves initiative, will make this project a vital piece of a larger landscape-scale network for biodiversity recovery.
Transforming Marginal Farmland into a Resilient Ecosystem
By converting low-productivity arable land and intensively (Sheep) grazed areas into a mosaic of meadow, wood pasture, woodland, and wetland, we will restore the ecological character of the Landscape. This transformation will improve soil health and create habitats for declining species—while engaging local communities in a shared vision for nature recovery.
Enhance natural flood management
The river Tiese runs through Ironhurst Valley Nature Reserve and regularly floods. There is an opportunity to use natural flood management techniques to create wetland habitats, as well as land management to drastically reduce nutrient run-off and therefore restore the river by improving water quality over the long term.
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Connectivity
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Natural Regeneration
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Flood management
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ConnectivityThe combined area of Ironhurst Valley Nature Reserve will create a wilding corridor, enabling wildlife to travel, expand habitat and thrive.
The proximity of the project to Scotney Castle to the East, which is already grazed by Kent Wildlife Trust, Wadhurst Park (850 acres) 5km to the south west and the Weald to Waves area (approx. 12 km away) makes the project very important in terms of connectivity.
We are aiming for a landscape-scale project which not only encompasses Ironhurst Valley Nature Reserve but also neighbouring and nearby landholdings. Work is also underway to identify other landowners and to begin the process of engaging with them to expand the area through collaboration.
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Access & EngagementParts of Ironhurst Valley Nature Reserve has footpaths, easy access from Lamberhurst and good walking routes which take in the local pubs.
But other areas currently have limited access, so consideration is being made about creating new permissive, circular walking routes to encourage tourism and support the local communities.
There are brick-built hoppers huts on site which is rare (as most were wooden and have disappeared). There is an opportunity to restore these hoppers huts over time and create both a base for engagement opportunities and also to protect the cultural heritage of the land.
The aim is for the project to have a significant community engagement aspect. To do this we need to bring local people with us on the journey, communicate effectively and provide regular contact for questions. This has started with the public engagement events where approximately 100 people turned up to speak to the Kent Wildlife Trust team. The sentiment was overwhelmingly positive.
There is a significant interest in volunteering from local residents. Enabling people to take part in restoring the landscape will be a key part of the engagement plan.
EIUs
Calculating Estimated Issuance Units
By taking Ironhurst Valley Nature Reserve out of commercial arable production and transforming this area into a mosaic of meadow, wood pasture, woodland and hedgerow landscape, one which is synonymous with the High Wield National Landscape, it is estimated that a large proportion of carbon emissions will be removed, generating carbon credits that will be available to purchase up front as estimated issuance units (EIUs). We apply a generous buffer and use the best available peer reviewed data, calculating a minimum defensible estimate over the 50 year duration of the project.