Blog Elements - Turf Matters

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

British Hardwood Tree Nursery celebrates five years of plant healthy certification

October 20, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

British Hardwood Tree Nursery celebrates five years of plant healthy certification British Hardwood Tree Nursery (BHT), one of Origin Green-tech’s specialist brands, is celebrating the renewal of its Plant Healthy certification for the fifth consecutive year. BHT has successfully completed its annual independent audit, with the renewed certification reflecting the nursery’s ongoing investment in robust […]

GroundsFest Academy focuses on turf performance

October 20, 2026/in Events, News, Press Release/by Admin

GroundsFest Academy focuses on turf performance GroundsFest Academy continued its commitment to supporting education across the grounds management industry with a successful Optimising Turf Performance event at Leigh Sports Village, bringing together leading industry experts and grounds professionals for a day of practical learning, knowledge sharing and networking. Free to attend and CPD accredited, the […]

British Hardwood Tree Nursery celebrates five years of plant healthy certification

October 20, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

GroundsFest Academy focuses on turf performance

October 20, 2026/in Events, News, Press Release/by Admin

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

British Hardwood Tree Nursery celebrates five years of plant healthy certification

October 20, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

British Hardwood Tree Nursery celebrates five years of plant healthy certification

British Hardwood Tree Nursery (BHT), one of Origin Green-tech’s specialist brands, is celebrating the renewal of its Plant Healthy certification for the fifth consecutive year.

British Hardwood Tree Nursery celebrates five years of plant healthy certification

BHT has successfully completed its annual independent audit, with the renewed certification reflecting the nursery’s ongoing investment in robust plant health management practices and the dedication of its team to supplying healthy, high-quality planting stock.

The Plant Healthy Certification Scheme is a nationally recognised initiative designed to help businesses minimise the risk of introducing and spreading harmful plant pests and diseases. The scheme provides a framework for managing plant health risks and promoting best practice throughout the horticultural supply chain.

Certification is awarded following a rigorous independent assessment against the Plant Health Management Standard. Businesses must demonstrate effective procedures for identifying, assessing and managing biosecurity risks, with annual audits ensuring that standards continue to be maintained.

For BHT, which supplies British-grown trees, hedging and shrubs for forestry, landscaping, farming, estates and environmental planting projects, maintaining these standards is an essential part of its operations. With increasing awareness of the threats posed by pests and diseases to the UK’s trees and wider environment, responsible sourcing and effective biosecurity measures have never been more important.

Yolanda MacGregor, Trees & Plants Category Manager at Origin Green-tech, comments, “Achieving Plant Healthy certification for the fifth consecutive year is a fantastic accomplishment for the BHT team and something we are extremely proud of.

Plant health and biosecurity are fundamental to everything we do at the nursery. The annual audit is one of the strictest in our sector, so maintaining our certification year after year demonstrates the hard work, knowledge and commitment of the whole team.

For our customers, it provides additional reassurance that the trees and plants they purchase have been grown and handled in accordance with recognised plant health standards. As the industry continues to focus on protecting our landscapes from pests and diseases, we believe it is essential that nurseries take a proactive approach to biosecurity.”

BHT has built an enviable reputation over three decades for supplying quality British-grown planting stock, supported by specialist nursery expertise and a commitment to responsible production. Alongside its Plant Healthy certification, BHT is UKISG assured and was awarded a Royal Warrant by HM King Charles III in 2025 for the supply of trees, tree protectors and wooden stakes.

As part of Origin Green-tech, BHT continues to play an important role in supporting woodland creation, forestry, landscape restoration and sustainable land management projects across the UK.

With the 2026–27 planting season approaching, the company is now accepting pre-orders for its extensive range of British-grown trees, hedging and shrubs. Customers are encouraged to order early to secure their preferred species and quantities, with the added reassurance of sourcing planting stock from a Plant Healthy certified nursery.

For more information or to discuss planting requirements for the 2026–27 season, visit www.green-tech.co.uk or www.britishhardwood.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters

GroundsFest Academy focuses on turf performance

October 20, 2026/in Events, News, Press Release/by Admin

GroundsFest Academy focuses on turf performance

GroundsFest Academy continued its commitment to supporting education across the grounds management industry with a successful Optimising Turf Performance event at Leigh Sports Village, bringing together leading industry experts and grounds professionals for a day of practical learning, knowledge sharing and networking.

GroundsFest Academy focuses on turf performance

Free to attend and CPD accredited, the event explored the challenges of maintaining high-quality natural turf in increasingly demanding environments. Delegates heard from specialists in grow lighting and plant nutrition while also benefiting from practical demonstrations, real-world case studies and open discussions with fellow professionals.

Hosted in partnership with TLS X Rhenac and Consolidate Turf, the event focused on the growing pressures faced by today’s ground staff, including increased fixture schedules, changing weather patterns, reduced recovery time and the ongoing challenge of producing high-quality playing surfaces throughout the year.

Bradley Tennant from GroundsFest Academy explained why these educational events have become increasingly important.

“A lot of problems recently in grounds management are the fact that ground staff and greenkeepers are having to deal with much higher pressures than previously,” he said. “More fixtures, different weather, changes in the conditions and expectations around playability have all affected how pitches are prepared and presented.

“It has been great to share the experience and knowledge from TLS X Rhenac and Consolidate Turf. There is a huge amount of expertise between them, and it gives ground staff, greenkeepers and grounds care workers the opportunity to discover new technologies and approaches that are available within the industry.”

Throughout the day, attendees explored how stadium design, shade and limited natural light affect grass growth, while learning how lighting technology, nutrition, irrigation and carefully timed recovery programmes can work together to improve turf health.

Tim Engels from TLS X Rhenac highlighted the value of holding the event at Leigh Sports Village, where the company’s lighting technology is already in use.

“This is one of our home grounds where we have our technology installed,” he said. “It’s an excellent case study because people can see everything working in a real environment. We learn most when we’re in direct contact with people, when they can see the equipment, ask questions and experience it first-hand.”

The partnership between TLS X Rhenac and Consolidate Turf demonstrated how different technologies can complement one another to achieve the same goal of healthier, stronger turf.

Danny Patten from Consolidate Turf said: “We’re trying to improve plant performance through nutrition, while Rhenac are doing it through light, so it made perfect sense to work together for this event.

“I hope we’ve opened the eyes of everyone who attended to different approaches to plant nutrition and turf recovery. It’s a chance to step away from the day-to-day routine, gain CPD and learn from experts and fellow professionals. GroundsFest Academy is a fantastic initiative to be part of.”

The event also received positive feedback from delegates, many of whom valued the opportunity to hear directly from both suppliers and fellow grounds professionals who are using the products and technologies every day.

Lee Jackson from Sheffield Wednesday praised the practical nature of the event.

“It has been really interesting hearing from both the lighting specialists and Consolidate Turf but also listening to the people who are actually using the products,” he said. “You get both perspectives, which makes it incredibly worthwhile.

“This industry is constantly evolving. If you think you know it all, you don’t. You have to keep learning and improving. Nothing beats being able to speak to people face-to-face, ask questions and share experiences. The networking alone makes events like this worthwhile.”

Stephen Sargant from Derby County FC echoed those sentiments.

“This was a different event to the previous Academy day, focusing more on the grass itself and how we can improve it,” he said. “You can never stop learning. Every event teaches you something different and helps you become better at what you do.”

Neil Porter from Leigh Sports Village also highlighted the importance of bringing the industry together.

“These are the only events where you can really sit down with other grounds people, discuss what you’re doing and learn from different approaches,” he said. “We can all get stuck in our own ways, so sharing ideas and experiences like this is invaluable.”

As GroundsFest Academy continues to expand its programme of free educational events across the UK, days such as Optimising Turf Performance demonstrate its ongoing commitment to reinvesting in the industry by providing accessible learning opportunities, practical knowledge and valuable networking for everyone involved in the maintenance of sports turf.

Watch the video highlights here.

For more information about GroundsFest Academy, visit www.groundsfestacademy.com.

You can also follow GroundsFest on X, Facebook and Instagram @GroundsFestAcademy for much more news, reviews and insightful views

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

British Hardwood Tree Nursery celebrates five years of plant healthy certification

GroundsFest Academy focuses on turf performance

British Hardwood Tree Nursery celebrates five years of plant healthy certification

GroundsFest Academy focuses on turf performance

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

British Hardwood Tree Nursery celebrates five years of plant healthy certification

British Hardwood Tree Nursery celebrates five years of plant healthy certification

GroundsFest Academy focuses on turf performance

GroundsFest Academy focuses on turf performance

RESOURCES

CONTACT

CONNECT