Acres Wild Woodlands

What Acres Wild Woodlands does

Acres Wild Woodlands Limited is a UK-based environmental consulting and forestry services firm founded by Gordon Purdie and formally incorporated in 2009, building on forestry contracting activity that dates to 1990. The company specializes in tree health surveys and woodland management, operating as lead contractor under the Forestry Commission's Plant Health Framework Contract to survey for tree pests and diseases including Oak Processionary Moth, Ash Dieback, and Sweet Chestnut Blight across multiple areas of England. Its core service offerings include tree health surveys, new woodland design and tree planting, ongoing woodland management consultancy, and urban and community forestry services. Clients comprise government agencies (primarily the Forestry Commission), farmers and large landowners, and community organizations across the UK.

The firm's underlying capability rests on specialized field-based domain expertise rather than proprietary technology, employing binocular survey techniques, field sampling, and practical pest identification methods developed over 30 years. It maintains UK Woodland Assurance Standard certification and a stated commitment to avoiding pesticide use. Operationally, Acres Wild Woodlands runs a lean, founder-led model with 11-50 employees supplemented by occasional self-employed survey staff, delivering services through direct client engagement, a basic web presence, and recruitment via Environment Jobs. Revenue mechanics are project-based professional services fees plus government framework contract revenue, with no public pricing or financial disclosure.

The firm is bootstrapped, privately held by Gordon Purdie, and operates as a company limited by guarantee (No. 06795446) with no external institutional investors. Recent corporate activity has been modest, including the acquisition of a 40-acre former Sitka spruce clearfell site in Scotland that the company is restoring to native woodland as both a demonstration asset and a small operational holding. Strategic emphasis remains on UK tree health survey work, sustainable woodland management practices, and support for woodland restoration charities (Tree Aid, Trees For Life).

Name

Acres Wild Woodlands

Legal name

Acres Wild Woodlands Limited

Website

https://acreswildwoodlands.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Acres Wild Woodlands is a UK-based forestry consultancy providing tree health surveys, woodland design, planting, and management services. It serves as lead contractor to the Forestry Commission and works with landowners and community groups across England and Scotland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forestry and Environmental Consulting

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (115310), Forestry and Logging (113), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (113210)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Forest Health Surveys & Risk Assessment (Tree Hazard, Mortality) (AFAMAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forest Health Management (Pest, Disease & Invasive Species Control) (AFAMAAAE), Tree Protection & Browsing Control (Guards, Fencing, Repellents) (AFAMACAH)

Keywords

• Tree health surveys
• Woodland management
• Tree planting services
• Forestry consulting
• Environmental consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Chippenham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Forestry Commission Contracts: Lead contractor under a Plant Health Framework Contract with the Forestry Commission, surveying for tree pests and diseases across multiple areas of England.
2. Woodland Management Services: Provides woodland design, tree planting, and management services to landowners, farmers, and community organizations.
3. Tree Health Survey Services: Conducts tree health surveys including OPM, Ash Dieback, Sweet Chestnut Blight for various clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Acres Wild Woodlands provides specialist forestry services in the UK, primarily delivering tree health surveys for the Forestry Commission (covering pests and diseases such as Oak Processionary Moth, Ash Dieback, and Sweet Chestnut Blight) and offering woodland design, tree planting, and ongoing woodland management consultancy to landowners, farmers, and community organizations. The company operates as lead contractor under the Forestry Commission's Plant Health Framework Contract across multiple areas of England.

Product overview

Acres Wild Woodlands is a tree health and woodland management services company offering a unified suite of specialized forestry services rather than a software product platform. The core offerings include Tree Health Survey Services (delivered as Forestry Commission contractors), New Woodland Design and Tree Planting Services, Woodland Management Services, and Urban and Community Forestry Services. These services work together to provide end-to-end support for woodland creation and maintenance, from initial design and planting through ongoing health monitoring and sustainable management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Tree AidminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcres Wild Woodlands supports the work of Tree Aid, a woodland restoration charity operating in Africa. This is a charitable support relationship rather than a commercial partnership.
• Trees For LifeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcres Wild Woodlands supports the Caledonian forest restoration and expansion work of Trees For Life in Scotland. This aligns with the company's own Scottish woodland restoration project.
• Forestry CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead contractor under Plant Health Framework Contract, conducting tree health surveys for the Forestry Commission across multiple areas of England. Primary revenue source and key client relationship.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Euroforest: UK-based forestry services company providing harvesting, marketing, and woodland establishment services. Overlaps directly with Acres Wild's contracting model for timber, planting, and woodland management work for private and public clients.
• English Woodlands: UK forestry and arboricultural consultancy offering woodland design, planting, and management. Comparable to Acres Wild across woodland creation and sustainable management service lines.
• Treework Environmental Practice: UK arboricultural consultancy providing tree surveys, tree risk assessment, and woodland management. Comparable to Acres Wild in tree health and risk-assessment deliverables for landowners, developers, and public bodies.
• Lockhart Garratt: Mid-sized UK arboriculture and forestry consultancy offering tree surveys, woodland management, and arboricultural reports. Highly comparable in service mix (tree health, woodland consultancy) and target customer segments.
• Fountains Forestry: UK forestry contractor delivering woodland establishment, restock, and forest management services. Comparable operating model and customer base to Acres Wild's planting and woodland management offerings.
• Nicholsons: UK arboriculture and forestry consultancy delivering tree surveys, woodland management, and tree surgery. Overlaps with Acres Wild's tree health surveys and woodland consultancy lines.

Others

• Forestry Commission (Forestry England): UK government forestry authority and Acres Wild's primary client. Comparable in subject-matter expertise but acts principally as a commissioning body and policy/regulatory actor rather than a competing contractor.
• Woodland Trust: UK woodland creation and conservation charity that both creates woodlands and commissions planting/management services from contractors. A potential customer/ecosystem peer rather than direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Tilhill Forestry: One of the UK's largest forestry and woodland management consultancies, managing timber, woodland creation, and restock projects nationwide. Operates at a much larger scale than Acres Wild across overlapping service lines (planting, woodland management, contracting to Forestry Commission/forestry authorities).
• Bartlett Tree Experts: Large established arboriculture/treecare company with UK presence providing tree surveys, pest/disease management, and arboricultural consulting. Overlaps with Acres Wild's tree health survey and woodland management capabilities at much greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Acres Wild Woodlands