Farming & Forestry

Farming on the Estate

Farming has traditionally been one of the mainstays of Castle Howard Estate and today over 6,000 acres are given over to agriculture. We have our own beef herd and our arable enterprise includes barley, wheat and seed rape.

Diversity is the key to survival and prosperity and in the autumn of 2004 the Castle Howard Farm Shop opened in the Stable Courtyard selling local produce, including traditionally reared Aberdeen Angus from our own herd.

Park Farm, Castle Howard's home farm, is situated about 1 mile north west of the main house.  We also have fully equipped let farms and several bare land lettings on the estate. Enterprises on the let farms include arable, dairy, beef and sheep. We work closely with our tenant farmers in order to support their businesses and also cooperate on initiatives to protect the environment such as hedgerow restoration.

We are very conscious of the environment in which we farm and have embarked on a number of environmental initiatives to minimise the impact of our day-to-day operations on the wildlife and spectacular countryside in which we are fortunate to work. For details of our Countryside Stewardship scheme and environmental policy, please use the links on the left or contact us.

Forestry is an important activity on the estate, with nearly 2,000 acres of woodland divided equally between coniferous and deciduous plantings which are managed for commercial timber production and amenity value.

Our timber is harvested in a sustainable way and has a wide range of uses from furniture making to construction. Environmental stewardship is at the heart of the wider management of the estate and includes schemes for regeneration of hedgerows and field margins to encourage wild birds and other creatures. We also recognise the tremendous importance of woodlands in the special landscape of the Howardian Hills and you can read more about our woodland management plan in this section.

Castle Howard's woodlands are managed by our own Forestry Team. We also operate a wholesale business selling estate-grown trees and hedging between November and April.  All enquiries please call 01653 648646.

UKWAS Certification

The UK Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS) recognises forests and woodlands which are managed to the highest standards. UKWAS is a voluntary scheme, launched in 1999 by the Government, private forest and woodland owners, the wood-processing sector and environmental and community groups. It was established in response to consumer and retailer demand for independent assurance that the wood products they buy come from well managed forests.

To achieve UKWAS certification Castle Howard's woodlands had to meet the highest standards of environmental and community care, demonstrating that the woodlands are managed in a sustainable way, that our wood has full traceability and that we have a programme of replacement planting.

When being assessed against the UKWAS standard it was found that most of Castle Howard's existing practice was well within the requirements of this certification. The final audit took place in April 2006.

Woodland Management Plan

Over the last twelve months we have drawn up a detailed Woodland Management Plan that includes a wealth of information about our woodland resources and a twenty-year programme of felling, replanting and associated environmental works.

The Woodland Management Plan is the blueprint for the sustainable and sensitive management of our woods and a copy is available for public inspection in our Estate Office by appointment - please write to The Estate Office, Castle Howard, York YO60 7DA.

Forestry Calendar 2012

January – thinning in Fryton East

February/April – thinning in Eastmoor Banks, Coneysthorpe Banks

July – thinning in Nut Wood, clear fell and thinning in Brandrith

August /October – thinning mature oak and Spanish chestnut in Brandrith