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E.ON Next

Our partnership with E.ON Next is delivering nature recovery and scaling up resilience through restoration of the UK's precious ancient woodlands.

We're working with E.ON Next to protect and restore ancient woods.

Credit: Philip Formby / WTML

Impact for nature recovery

Ancient woodlands are unique havens for wildlife and crucial carbon sinks, yet our remaining ancient woods cover just 2.5% of the UK and what's left is damaged by non-native trees or threatened by development. Our partnership with the energy supplier, E.ON Next, will help us continue our fight to protect and restore them.

When customers choose one of the E.ON Next fixed-term tariffs, a one-off donation is made to support our work on the ground in the UK's precious ancient woodlands.

Restoration results

Ancient woodland restoration is a slow and careful process, but with a pledge of three years of support, E.ON Next's donations are already delivering results. Funding is helping us carry out surveys in damaged ancient woods, undertake the work that will revive them, and will enable us to continue monitoring their progress into the future.

Since our partnership began in December 2024, E.ON Next has already exceeded its original pledge of £500,000 over three years, driven by more than two million customer tariff sign-ups. These donations have already funded vital ‘boots on the ground’ work in 14 different ancient woodlands needing vital restoration, from the Scottish Borders to Suffolk.

We’re committed to protecting the environment and the UK’s green spaces, and partnering with organisations like the Woodland Trust helps us turn that commitment into action. Together with our customers, we’re proud to support ancient woodland restoration projects across the UK by donating on behalf of every customer who chooses one of our fixed tariffs. Our partnership with the Woodland Trust allows us to make a real and lasting impact - helping improve these vital havens for wildlife, boost biodiversity and safeguard these irreplaceable landscapes for generations to come.

Julian Lennertz
Chief commercial officer at E.ON Next

Thinning the canopy at Martinshaw Wood, bringing light to the woodland floor.

Credit: David Logan / WTML

Action for nature

At Martinshaw Wood in Leicestershire, E.ON Next’s support has fuelled double the amount of work to thin dense areas of woodland. More than 10 hectares of this vast and picturesque 103-hectare woodland has been brought into active restoration with nearly 900 tonnes of timber removed, opening the canopy and creating the light conditions needed for woodland recovery. It’s also funded species surveys like ecological checks for nesting birds – a vital part of woodland management restoration planning.  

Credit: WTML

Tackling invasive species

At South Park Wood near Prudhoe in Northumberland, tackling invasive species has been the focus. This woodland is home to diverse plant and wildlife species. Visitors can wander among towering trees through broadleaf woodland, open copses and winding watercourses that surround open grasslands dotted with colourful wildflowers. E.ON Next funds have helped clear non-native rhododendron and remove diseased larch as well as install improved trackways to carry out the work and support the long-term health and resilience of the woodland.

Credit: David Logan / WTML

Regeneration and resilience 

At Harrison Woodlands, E.ON Next’s support is helping improve the woodland’s ecological value and its resilience by removing invasive species like rhododendron and Himalayan balsam to encourage the return of a wide range of woodland indicator flowers like wood anemone, woodruff and bluebells. Trees severely affected by ash dieback are being removed to keep the site safe, and installing deer fencing will allow natural regeneration to take hold. 

People power for woodlands

E.ON Next staff have helped put restoration theory into practice, bringing their energy to our volunteering days and stepping up to tackle invasive species removal at Martinshaw Wood. Clearing rhododendron is a critical part of ancient woodland management, allowing native flora to return. And in the West Midlands, a team of E.ON Next volunteers joined the Trust for a day of mud, rain and tree planting at Fairfield Forest near Bromsgrove.

E.ON Next volunteers planting trees at Fairfield Forest, Pepper Wood.

Credit: WTML

We’re immensely proud of what we’ve been able to achieve thanks to E.ON Next funding, which has surpassed its pledge of £500,000 almost two years ahead of schedule. Ancient woodland restoration requires careful long-term planning, and the support from E.ON Next customers has already helped secure the foundations for impactful conservation work ahead. These vital natural habitats are a haven for wildlife, and bring health and wellbeing benefits to our communities. Thanks to E.ON Next and their customers, we can make a significant and lasting difference in protecting these essential ecosystems. We can't wait to see how much more can be achieved in the next two years of this partnership.

Dr Darren Moorcroft
Chief executive, the Woodland Trust

Credit: Richard Becker / WTML

What does ancient woodland restoration involve?

Just 2.5% of the UK's ancient woodland remains, and much of this tiny fragment is under threat. Conifer plantations, overgrazing and the spread of invasive species like rhododendron and Himalayan balsam have left many of them damaged and struggling to sustain the vibrant life they once supported.

Ancient woodland restoration is the careful process of removing these threats and nurturing the wood back to health. This can involve removing invasive plants and felling plantation trees; gradually thinning the canopy so more light reaches the woodland floor; and even reintroducing species and processes that will bring harmony back to the ancient woodland ecosystem.

Credit: Alex Hyde / naturepl.com

Why do we need to restore ancient woodland?

Ancient woods have stood for hundreds of years, and as a result have formed unique and complex communities of plants, animals and other creatures. Our ancient woods are home to more threatened species than any other habitat, but also harbour fascinating links to history and are carbon-eating machines. They're irreplaceable.

Let's talk

Partner with us and your business can bring the benefits of trees to people, wildlife and the planet.

Call us on 0330 333 5306 or email partners@woodlandtrust.org.uk to found out how we can work together.

Find out more about ancient woodland