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Some of the schemes are relatively modest, such as orchards planted with heritage varieties of fruit and nut trees, while others are much grander, thousands of trees linking up existing patches of woodland to create nature-rich forests.
Almost half a million trees are being planted in England this winter in a partnership between the National Trust and a UK-government funded project, creating woodlands, wood pasture, hedgerows and orchards.
One of the most eye-catching schemes is at Buckland Abbey near Plymouth in Devon, where more than 30,000 trees are being planted.
The expansion of woodland on the estate, which dates back more than 700 years, is designed to boost biodiversity and create more space for wildlife. Fritillary butterflies, oil beetles, harvest mice – and the barn owls that prey on them – will benefit from the range of woody habitats and hedgerows.
Broadleaved trees such as sessile oak, elm, blackthorn, birch, rowan and wild cherry are being planted at Buckland. They are being planted close to ancient woodlands across the estate, and the hope is that as well as benefiting insects, mammals and birds, it will improve conditions for rare lichens, liverworts and mosses to flourish.
About 400 heritage fruit, hazel and cobnut trees will also be planted to recreate the sort of medieval orchard that the abbey’s Cistercian monks used to tend.
At another Devon site, Killerton, near Exeter, almost 70,000 trees including oak, hornbeam, alder and spindle are being planted and wood pasture developed – scattered trees and scrubby outcrops, which are good for the highland cattle one local farmer breeds and the 13 species of bats that live there.
At Shugborough in Staffordshire, a more modest scheme involves the planting of 42 trees as part of a project to redevelop and expand the Georgian mansion’s walled garden. Gages, damsons, pears, quinces and medlars are being planted, in local varieties where possible.
About 416,000 trees will have been planted at 20 sites across England by the end of March by the trust and England’s Community Forests’ trees for climate programme, which is backed by the UK government’s nature for climate fund. They will create 519 hectares of woody habitats.
The largest single scheme in terms of tree numbers is at Lunt in Sefton, Merseyside, where work is under way to plant 78 hectares with nearly 93,000 trees.
The National Trust recently bought the land from Sefton council. Lunt’s name derives from an old Norse term meaning “grove” or “copse” and it is likely it refers to an ancient forest in the area.
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Existing pockets of woodland will connect with the trees and become part of the Mersey Forest, an expanding network of woodlands and green spaces across Cheshire and Merseyside.
The trust’s head of trees and woodland, John Deakin, 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.”
The UK nature minister, Mary Creagh, said: “This government is committed to protecting and restoring nature, and trees are at the forefront of our plans to reduce emissions. Alongside National Trust and our partners at England’s Community Forests, we are creating new woodlands that will bring communities and woodlands closer together for generations to come.”
