Volunteers help out at Wervin Woods

Early in March, 50 volunteers visited one of the Council’s recently planted woodlands to help with tree planting. The site, known as Wervin Woods, is a mosaic of different habitats including ponds, wildflower meadows and native deciduous woodland.

The volunteers were helping to replace dead or failing trees, known as ‘beating up’, in one of the woodland blocks at this site. ‘Beating up’ is a forestry term which originates from the Anglo Saxon ‘betan’ which means to mend or repair.

In total the volunteers planted 2,700 trees including Oak, Field Maple, Hazel, Birch, Hawthorn and Rowan to compliment the establishing Alder, and diversify the species composition to create resilience from the effects of tree diseases and climate change.

All the volunteers, who were on a volunteering day from their roles in the financial sector, enjoyed their day in the warmth of early spring sunshine with the Council’s Woodland Creation Officer providing advice for successful planting, assisted by colleagues from the Climate Change team, the Total Environment’s Health Ranger and members of the Employee Volunteering group.

A big thank you goes out to all the partners and volunteers involved. Projects such as this shows how working together we can achieve a sustainable future with nature and people at its heart.