This winter, the National Trust and England’s Community Forests are working in partnership to create around 519 hectares (1,282 acres) of new woodlands and woody habitats across England.
This ambitious series of planting projects has been funded and supported by England’s Community Forests’ Trees for Climate programme, part of the Defra Nature for Climate Fund. Thanks to £7.1 million in funding, a total of 20 planting projects will be completed on land across England, the majority of which is cared for by the conservation charity, with some of the largest in Devon, Gloucestershire, Yorkshire and Merseyside.
By the end of March, almost 416,000 trees will have been planted to establish new woodlands, wood pasture, hedgerows and orchards. These woody habitats will help mitigate climate change, provide homes for nature and accessible woods close to towns and cities for people and communities to enjoy.
The largest tree planting project is at Lunt in Sefton, Merseyside, where work is now underway to plant 78 hectares (192.7 acres) with nearly 93,000 trees. The land was recently purchased from Sefton Council by the National Trust. Part funded by The Mersey Forest’s Trees for Climate programme, the acquisition will connect with the Community Forest network, open up access to the countryside for local communities and join a mosaic of nature-rich landscapes together.
A network of 15 Community Forests, the England’s Community Forests initiative started over three decades ago and it has been working in partnership with the National Trust since 2021. By the end of this spring, an impressive total of 693 hectares (1712 acres) of trees will have been planted on Trust land over the three years of the partnership.
John Deakin, the National Trust head of Trees and Woodland said, “We’ve found lots of natural synergy with the Community Forests in the way we approach woodland and tree establishment to give maximum value for people, nature and climate.
“Trees are our most powerful tool in locking up carbon and mitigating climate change. Working in partnership allows us to plant even more trees, restore more spaces for nature and store carbon on an even bigger scale.
“Meanwhile, with each new area of planting connecting with existing habitats plus extending the size of local Community Forest areas, we can ensure that more people have opportunities to connect with nature close to where they live, something we all need.”
Paul Nolan, Chair of England’s Community Forests and Director of The Mersey Forest, said, “We’re really pleased to be working closely with the National Trust on woodland creation projects across the country. Our Trees for Climate programme aims to deliver 76,000 hectares of trees and woodland across England by 2026 and the projects we’re supporting on National Trust sites will play a big part in this.
“Increasing tree cover in our communities is vital for our health and wellbeing and to help us adapt to our changing climate, which is becoming more and more challenging. Trees can help cool our towns and cities, help alleviate flooding, prevent soil erosion and cut pollution.
“Working alongside landowners and partners, such as the National Trust will help us to increase tree cover across Community Forest areas, boosting biodiversity, local economies and people’s access to nature. We are looking forward to developing our joint work with the National Trust to help deliver the Community Forest Plans across the country.”
Image shows children from Broadclyst and Westclyst School in Exeter at a Community Forest woodland planting event at Killerton, Devon. Credit, National Trust Images, Owen Douglas-Jones