Queen’s Brian May transformed 157 acres of farmland into wildlife sanctuary with 100,000 trees; now serves as an animal rescue centre

For decades, Brian May has been associated with Queen’s greatest songs, but another of his long-running projects has been unfolding quietly in the Dorset countryside. Instead of creating another development on farmland, the guitarist chose to let nature reclaim it, turning 157 acres into a growing woodland designed to reconnect wildlife with its habitat. More than a decade after the first tree was planted, the project offers a bigger story than simply “100,000 trees”. It is an example of how rewilding can transform land once dominated by intensive agriculture into a functioning ecosystem.

How a farmland got transformed into a 157-acre woodland

May’s Wood, near Bere Regis in Dorset, began in 2013 when May acquired 157 acres of agricultural land. The area was facing the prospect of development, but May and his Save Me Trust pursued a different future for it. The initial plan was ambitious: to plant more than 100,000 native trees and shrubs and create a wildlife haven with open spaces, woodland and areas for people to walk. May described the idea as creating a “wildlife sanctuary without boundaries”, saying he hoped it would become a gift to future generations. The first planting involved local residents and children, making the project a community effort from the beginning.

The bigger idea was not just planting trees

The significance of May’s Wood lies in what happens between the trees. Save Me says the woodland was designed to provide a wildlife corridor, connecting existing habitats around Bere Regis. More than 60 acres were planned as open areas, alongside hazel and other coppice, creating different conditions for plants and animals.

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That approach is important because a landscape filled with a single type of vegetation does not necessarily provide everything wildlife needs. Different habitats can offer food, shelter and breeding areas for different species. By allowing a mixture of woodland, open ground and natural vegetation to develop, the project aimed to make the landscape useful to a much wider range of species.

What happened to the land after a decade?

According to a recent report by People, the project has now reached its original target of more than 100,000 trees and shrubs, while insects, birds and small mammals have begun using the restored landscape. The Times of India recently reported that the figure had reached around 101,000 trees and shrubs, highlighting how the former agricultural landscape has changed over the years. Photographs taken years apart show perhaps the clearest measure of the project's progress. The small saplings planted in 2013 have developed into a recognisable woodland, with vegetation creating shade and a more established habitat.

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Brian May’s wildlife work goes beyond trees

The woodland is also part of May’s much broader involvement in animal welfare. His Save Me Trust campaigns on wildlife and habitat issues, while he has supported rescue work involving injured and orphaned British wildlife. The organisation says its focus includes the impact of habitat destruction, pollution, climate change and human activity on wild animals. The Guardian reported years ago on May's work caring for rescued foxes and hedgehogs and his campaigning for British wildlife, describing animal welfare as something that had become “a huge part of my life.”

A different kind of rockstar legacy no one would have expected

Trees planted in 2013 can continue growing for generations, while the wildlife corridor can evolve as new plants and animals move through it. May himself acknowledged that he might not live to see the woodland reach full maturity. For a musician whose career has already become part of cultural history, this offers a different kind of legacy not something preserved in a recording studio, but something living and changing in the countryside. The first tree was planted more than a decade ago. The real story is what happens in the decades still to come.