Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire Wildlife Trusts have come together to lead Severn Treescapes.
The project will create a wooded landscape at a scale never seen in the region before - a 60-mile corridor of trees, hedgerows and native woodland that will stretch from the Lower Wye Valley and Forest of Dean in the south to the Wyre Forest in the north, connecting both people and nature.
While this landscape already includes two of the country’s larger forests - the wider landscape has seen a continued reduction in tree coverage, now exacerbated by ash dieback disease and extreme weather events.
Farmland accounts for about 75% of the land use in this area and so the project aims to support farmers to explore innovative ways of increasing tree cover while maintaining productivity, as well as encouraging whole communities to understand the value of trees.
Dr Juliet Hynes, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s Head of Ecological Evidence, said:
“We’re so excited to get this project up and running. It will provide a fantastic opportunity for local communities, landowners and farmers to build a closer relationship with trees. Trees and hedgerows can help to tackle the impacts of climate change - providing livestock with shade in the summer, fruit and nuts for birds and small mammals in the winter and increased water infiltration. What’s more, the wellbeing benefits of being in nature and around trees are well known and vital to our health and happiness.”
Severn Treescapes will:
- Increase tree cover and encourage bigger, bushier hedgerows along a 60-mile corridor, creating more places for wildlife to thrive - from plants, fungi and invertebrates, to the recently reintroduced pine martens.
- Provide a team of on-the-ground advisors to support land managers, farmers and communities to access funding to plant and/or grow and manage trees and woodlands across this landscape.
- Engage 5,000 people by expanding the BBC Radio Gloucestershire Ourboretum tree growing initiative, encouraging local people to gather native, local tree seeds and grow saplings at home – eventually planting them back into their local area.
- Create more opportunities for people to connect with trees and the natural world. 12% of England’s population is within a 30-minute drive of the project area.
The launch of Severn Treescapes is part of the Queen’s Green Canopy, which marked the Platinum Jubilee of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Severn Treescapes will continue as a legacy project for this nationwide tree planting celebration in honour of Her Majesty.
