Cornish farm launches project to triple UK’s temperate rainforest

Former soldier is transforming his land on Bodmin Moor with tree planting and natural regeneration

Tripling Britain’s temperate rainforest is the goal of a new charity founded by a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who found solace in this unique and biodiverse habitat.

The Thousand Year Trust is being launched this week by Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after three tours of Afghanistan and is now transforming his 120-hectare (300 acres) hill farm on Bodmin Moor into the largest rainforest restoration project in England and Wales.