ONE of North Yorkshire's most beautiful stately homes is going green.

The Castle Howard estate covers 10,000 acres in an area of outstanding natural beauty in the shadow of the Howardian Hills and the estate's staff are proud of their unique environment.

Now the entire estate has been entered in the Think Green category of The Press Business Awards 2006.

Marketing manager Rachel Jack said Castle Howard balances the need for commercial development with its responsibility for the care and stewardship of the local environment. With almost 200 buildings to care for, Castle Howard works regularly with organisations such as English Heritage to ensure that restoration is carried out sensitively and that traditional methods are used.

The estate's home farm and many of the tenant farmers have been involved in the Country Stewardship Scheme for many years and the vast majority of miles of existing hedgerows have been improved as a result.

In addition, a number of new hedgerows have been established, grass margins planted and wildlife habitats created and improved.

It is not just the plants which are looked after on the estate though, as its wild game bird management programme has also recently embarked upon a project to reintroduce and encourage the growth of English partridge numbers.

In the estate gardens, the team works hard to ensure a balance between making the plants look good for the thousands of visitors as well as doing what's right for the plant.

Ms Jack said: "In our arboretum, many native species that will not grow in Kew Gardens are flourishing in the Howardian Hills.

"And a species of Eucalyptus is growing so well there are plans underway to re-introduce it back into the wild in its native Australia."