What we do
Our practice exists to help landowners, trustees, tenants, family offices and farming businesses to manage their rural assets, over both the short and the long term.
The work set out below describes the instructions we are most often given. In practice, a proportion of what we are asked to do does not sit within a single column. Where your situation does not, please ask us – the likelihood is that we, or someone within our trusted network, can help.Â
Forestry
Forestry has ceased to be a side activity on many well-run estates. Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, timber harvesting, woodland creation grants, and Biodiversity Net Gain have moved it into the centre of the strategic conversation. The effect of decisions made now will be felt for decades to come. We plant, manage and harvest woodland for owners who care about both the timber value, and the woodland habitat.Â
Evergreen is completely independent with no harvesting interest, so can guarantee a truly independent market tendering exercise – unlike competitors who run their own cutting machines.
Typical instructions
- Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier
- Tendering, harvesting and restocking operations
- Woodland Management Plans
- Felling Licences and associated regulatory work
- Deer and squirrel management plans, implementation of control measures
- Grant strategy, application, and management
- Woodland creation
- Grant funding, scheme selection, design, planting and establishmentÂ
Credentials: Chartered Forester (ICF)Â
Estate Management
We specialise in guiding our clients through an increasingly complex regulatory system. The day-to-day work: drafting new tenancy agreements, instructing repair works and contractors, collecting rents and ensuring general compliance. Our experience in the sector helps us advise on strategic decision. Decisions taken once every ten or twenty years: which tenant, which lease, which capital project, which scheme to enter and when to come out of it. We act for private estates, family trusts and charitable landholdings across the South East, and many of our clients have been with us for years.Â
Typical instructions
- Employment and overseeing of staff
- Residential and commercial management
- Strategic reviews and five-year plans
- Tenancy negotiation and AHA or FBT structuring
- Capital project oversight. Farmstead conversion, diversification, infrastructure
- Stewardship scheme entry, monitoring and reporting
- Annual estate audit and budget
- Compulsory purchase, wayleaves and contractor compound arrangements
Lettings
Let property forms a key part of the portfolio. We pride ourselves on being professionals in the property sector and can assist anyone with the management of residential, commercial and mixed-use properties, helping landlords maximise returns, maintain high standards and ensure assets are managed effectively, whether in rural or urban locations.
Why use us rather than a high street agent?
We understand property as part of a wider estate, the importance of maintaining good tenant-landlord relationships, and ensure that all compliance obligations are met.Â
Typical instructions
- Residential property management and lettings
- Commercial property management and letting conversions, farmyard units and rural commercial space
- Agricultural land and holdings either on a farm business tenancy, contract farming agreement, or a simple grazing licence
- We offer an ongoing management option once the property is let, to reduce the landlord’s administrative burden.
- We are happy to assist with one-off jobs relating to let property, such as lease and surrender negotiations, rent reviews and management of property refurbishment projects.
Consultancy
Consultancy is where the most strategic of our work is done. Some of it sits adjacent to the other service lines. Some of it sits on no service list at all. The common thread is that the work calls for rural professional judgement, often taken across a longer horizon than the immediate transaction.
Typical instructions
- Inheritance tax and succession planning, in conjunction with the client’s solicitor and tax adviser
- Estate planning and strategic reviews
- Diversification advice
- Grant strategy. Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, the Sustainable Farming Incentive, capital grants
- Landlord and tenant matters, lease negotiation and rent review disputes
- Planning support, permitted development guidance and pre application work
- Market appraisals and pre-marketing advice for owners considering a sale
- We can assist with matters relating to utility companies and aspects of compulsory purchase work.
Sporting
We offer specialist advice regarding deer stalking leases and driven game shooting. Our knowledge in the sector is driven by nearly two decades of experience.Â
A properly managed shoot does more than generate income: it underwrites habitat work, provides employment, supports biodiversity, and connects our rural community. Run well, game shooting can form a key part of any estate/farm. We advise on sporting leases, shoot consultancy and day to day management as well as helping clients host days.
Typical instructions
- Sporting rights and leases
- Integration of sporting, conservation, and biodiversity objectives
- Shoot management and consultancy
- Stalking licences
- Strategic advice in the face of changing public policy on field sports
Species Management Plan
Species management plans have become an increasingly important part of woodland and estate management. The Rural Payments Agency offers grant funding (PA7) to support the preparation of these plans, helping landowners access financial backing for effective, evidence-based management.
We specialise in deer and squirrel management plans, combining hands-on field experience in population management with in-depth knowledge of the RPA application process. This dual expertise allows us to guide clients smoothly from plan to funded implementation, ensuring both ecological outcomes and compliance with scheme requirements.
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Funded expertise – PA7 grant funding can cover the cost of drafting your species management plan, reducing the financial barrier to getting started
Dual specialism – deer and grey squirrel management are two of the most pressing pressures on woodland regeneration and biodiversity in the South East
Field-tested, not desk-based – plans are grounded in real population management experience, not just paperwork
RPA fluency – in-depth understanding of scheme requirements and application processes reduces delays and rejection risk
Plan to delivery – support doesn’t stop at the document; we help clients move from an approved plan into funded, on-the-ground implementation
Compliance and outcomes – plans are designed to satisfy RPA requirements while delivering genuine ecological results, not just box-ticking
Typical instructions
- Thermal deer surveys
- Squirrel and deer impact assessments
- Squirrel and deer management plans
- Advice as to control options in sensitive areas
Not sure which of these fits?
Most enquiries do not arrive neatly packaged into a single service. A site visit is usually the shortest path to a useful answer, and we’d be delighted to visit you to discuss how we can help.