First planting takes place for new wood to help boost wildlife levels

The first tree has been planted in a new 54-hectare woods in East Devon - which aims to boost local wildlife levels.

There's been a drop of at least a third in the number of woodland birds in the area and the Woodland Trust’s new site - recently named Yonder Oak Wood thanks to a public vote - includes the planting of 13,000 trees this winter,

The first oak tree to be planted at the site, near Exmouth, will form part of The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative– where people across the UK were inspired to plant a tree to mark The Queen’s Jubilee. Public plantings will follow in December.

Woodland Trust site manager, Paul Allen said: “With 2022 being the Woodland Trust’s 50th anniversary, a backdrop of climate change and the biodiversity crisis, we need space for nature, like at Yonder Oak Wood, now more than ever.

“At Yonder Oak Wood, our primary aim is nature recovery, and we hope that new trees, both planted and seeded naturally, will allow nature to bounce back. Woodland birds have declined by 29 per cent since 1970 and we hope to welcome back the likes of willow warblers and spotted flycatchers – as well as butterflies such as the dingy skipper and ringlets. There is so much potential here.”   

"The Woodland Trust acquired the 54 hectares of land in East Devon earlier this year, as an ambitious new woodland creation project, thanks to an incredible response to a public appeal which raised £650,000.

"Further generous support came from Lloyds Bank, and through the Government’s Landfill Communities Fund, which enabled the funder Biffa Award to provide an amazing grant of £750,000.

"The charity sought help from the local community to name the site that will celebrate the Woodland Trust’s 50th anniversary in the county of its birth and almost 1,000 people got involved. The winner was Yonder Oak Wood. With stunning views and veteran oaks this feels very appropriate and harks back to site’s historic field names.

"The site is blessed with ancient woodland flora like bluebells, although currently shaded out by invasive laurel, veteran trees and oak pollards.  Hydrological mapping has shown how water flows across the site and revealed opportunities to create leaky dams, wet woodland, and other ways to hold and store water on the land, which will help reduce flooding downstream in communities, and create more habitats for wildlife. Leaky dams – inspired by beavers which live locally – will be built by volunteers in the coming years using ash and alder that are growing on the site.

“Creating a new wooded landscape that will host wildlife way beyond our lifetimes and be resilient to the changing climate is no mean feat. We have been working to create a comprehensive design that will guide our work over the next five years, and today we’ve planted the first new trees that will kickstart nature’s recovery.

“With an estuary to the west and heaths to the east, more trees will provide much-needed shade for birds and other wildlife – creating a more resilient landscape. This is crucial as our summers become hotter, and our winters wetter.”

Join the first public plantings on:

3 & 4 December

10 & 11 December

Bookings will open in early November.

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