Nature Notebook

Autumn colours © Chris Maguire

Creating a Treescape

We’re joining forces with colleagues across our county borders to enhance tree cover from the Wye Valley to the Wyre Forest...

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Worcestershire Wildlife Trust @WorcsWT t worcestershirewildlifetrust G worcswildlifetrust.co.uk w Together with Gloucestershire and Herefordshire Wildlife Trusts we’re working with landowners along a 60 mile corridor to improve tree cover. The aim is to buffer and better link existing woodlands, something that will help both wildlife and people as well as help in the fight against climate change.

We have a deep-rooted connection to trees and woodlands. They permeate our fairy stories and folklore; from woodsmen who rescue maidens in distress to Robin Hood and his Merry Men, even our beloved Winnie the Pooh lives in Hundred Acre Wood. As well as being shrouded in centuries of tales, woodlands are wonderful places for nature to thrive and recent reports are demonstrating the benefit to our health and wellbeing of spending time amongst trees.

Ancient native woodlands hold a wealth of life, offering a complex weave of networks and an incredible number of species. Trees of varying ages and structures provide homes for birds, insects and fungi. Dense understorey can offer nesting opportunities for nightingales and feeding spots for dormice. A mighty oak tree alone can be home to more than 2,300 species.

Woodlands don’t exist in a vacuum. Our landscape is connected via miles of fungal networks in earth under our feet. Buffering and building on these amazing networks can allow woodland ecosystems to naturally expand, taking those connections into the wider landscape via hedgerows and other trees to let wildlife bounce back. You may think that nature is doing okay but with one in seven species at risk of extinction in the UK, it needs all the help it can get. Restoring nature is good for wildlife, helps our own wellbeing and helps both us and wildlife to adapt to climate change.

Severn Treescapes isn’t as simple as planting trees anywhere and everywhere. It’s important to put the right tree in the right place. Planting trees on a beautiful wildflower-rich meadow, for example, would do more harm than good. Our team works with land managers to discover the best ways to enhance tree cover on their land. This could be planting a small copse, boosting an existing hedgerow or allowing trees to naturally regenerate. We help farmers to explore agroforestry, where tree planting can work alongside productive agricultural systems. Advice is available to restore an orchard or create a wood pasture. We’re available to chat through ideas and bring together interested people to share best practice and visit sites to learn from each other.

If you manage land and are interested in getting involved, please take a look at www.worcswildlifetrust. co.uk/severn-treescapes Your land needs to be to the west of Worcester and we can help with advice on managing and enhancing existing woodlands and tree cover as well as where to find financial help for any work that might be needed. The project is funded by the Trees Call to Action Fund, led by Defra, the Forestry Commission and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. n Wendy Carter Worcestershire Wildlife Trust

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