Winton Estate's woodchip
heating system saves some
100 tonnes of carbon every year.

Some way to go
As a rural Estate, we are well placed to make a substantial and constructive impact over what we take from the countryside and what we put back. Our record of this is improving all the time but we continue to make practical improvements wherever possible. We know that we can always do more.

Farming
The use of chemicals in farming is monitored carefully and applied sparingly to promote growth and control disease. The farms are certified by a number of schemes and we endeavour to do more than the bare minimum to comply. The latest effort in this is assisted through involvement with LEAF — Linking Environment and Farming.

Other environmental schemes have been in operation across the whole Estate for many years and yield considerable wildlife benefit. These schemes frequently share the objectives of the local Biodiversity Action Plans. They have led to the creation of ponds, wetlands, wildlife field margins as wildlife corridors, an extension of hedgerows and the provision of uncropped areas (providing a source of food for birds during winter).

Buffer strips, fenced off from cattle and sheep grazing along the River Tyne, have also also been remarkably effective in attracting wildlife. The Kingfisher is one example of a species which has returned. The number of partridges, which are a wildlife 'indicator species' are generally stable or on the rise. Other species seen on the Estate are detailed in the Wildlife section.

Forestry
About 1/3 of the Estate is covered in trees. These provide worthwhile direct and indirect employment , a substantial habitat resource and shelter for many species (see list), as well as contributing to the landscape. Woodland is thinned on average every 5 years after the initial establishment period, and is timed so as to accommodate game bird sport and to avoid the nesting season in sensitive areas. Regular additions to bird box numbers are made by a local RSPB member in liaison with the Head Forester, many of which are along the Winton Walks.

Recycling, Energy Use and Carbon offsetting
Winton House and 5 Estate cottages are heated and have hot water generated by our woodchip fired heating system (the woodchip boiler is, therefore, heating the equivalent of 36 houses!). The woodchips are cut and dried from the some of the lower-grade timber found on the Estate. The chips are carbon neutral since emissions only give out as much CO₂ as is absorbed during the growth period. It is estimated that 100 tonnes per year of carbon emissions are saved each year.

The 850 acres of forestry and surrounding farmland contribute to around 2,500 tonnes of carbon being absorbed from the atmosphere each year, equivalent to carbon emissions from 250 average households.

Where possible, waste products are recycled through the local Council collection scheme. Other aluminium, glass and paper recycling projects are encouraged by both Winton employees and visiting guests, with monitoring by Henry Martin, the Estate's "Green Policeman"! Our energy usage is monitored, and, over time, energy efficient lighting is replacing traditional light bulbs.