AGRICULTURAL land at a farm near Holsworthy has been transformed into a forest for the future with 33,000 trees.

Rob and Catherine Moore, of Yeomadon Farm have replaced the cattle with trees at their farm, which has been in the family since the early 1900s in order for it to be more compatible with their holiday business.

The couple chose to create woodland to complement their already thriving holiday cottage business, which has a focus on nature-based activities, such as fishing and local walks.

They will also be looking for the woodland to generate income for them in the future.

18 hectares of land has been turned to nature, comprising of a conifer woodland with broadleaf edges and funded through a grant from the England Woodland Creation Offer.

The centre of the woodland is made up of Sitka spruce, Norway spruce, lodgepole pine and western red cedar, with a surrounding ring of mixed native broadleaf species close to the fishing lakes. The agents arranged contractors to hand plant 33,000 trees, which took three weeks to plant.

After the planting, the couple said: “It may be that we’re just noticing the wildlife more than we used to, or that it’s flourishing now that we’re disturbing the land less, but we don’t remember seeing sparrowhawks before!”