COMMUNITY volunteers have banded together over winter to plant a new woodland in Upton Snodsbury.
A total of 23,000 trees have been planted at the 11-hectare site off the A422. Recent efforts saw local school children from Upton Snodsbury First School join Wychavon District Council chairman, Robert Raphael to get planting.
The new woodland is part of Worcestershire County Council’s aim to plant 150,000 trees across the county by 2027, including another new woodland in Wychavon in Dodderhill parish near Droitwich Spa.
Over the winter, community efforts have seen the total number of trees increase by 6,000 to a whopping 23,000. The council say the woodland is developing into a ‘thriving biodiversity habitat.’
Coun Raphael said: “It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm of the pupils taking part in the tree planting in Upton Snodsbury and to know they will be able to go back in years to come and see how the trees they planted have grown.”
The Chairman has also taken a tour of nearby Stoulton woodland – also known as Millennium Wood – to check on its progress after it was created by Wychavon in 2001 to mark the new millennium.
And another three hectares were planted in neighbouring Jubilee Wood in 2012 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.
Councillor Emma Stokes, cabinet member for the environment, at Worcestershire County Council said: “We’ve made great progress as we’ve begun tree planting at our Upton Snodsbury site and I look forward to this continuing.
“Our tree planting sites have been designed to have the community at their hearts so it’s really pleasing to hear of our local school children getting involved right at the start of the project.”
