Tiny forests being planted across the region.
Over 5000 trees are to be planted across the region in the latest project by the North East Community Forest.
The first new forest for 2024 was planted this week in Fawdon park, led by Earthwatch Europe and the North East Community Forest team along with volunteers from the local community and school children from North Fawdon Primary School.
On Thursday 15 February a second forest will be planted in Westerhope Park in partnership with charity, Urban Green Newcastle. Students from Beech Hill Primary School in West Denton will be helping out on the day.
This latest partnership project is supported by the local authorities in Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, and Sunderland, and further supported by Living Woods, the Freemen of Newcastle upon Tyne, and Urban Green Newcastle.
Cllr Marion Williams, Cabinet Member for a Connected, Clean City, Newcastle City Council said: “It is fantastic to see the Tiny Forest project get underway. The involvement of the local community in the planting and maintenance of these forests are key to their success and it was great to see so many people out in support of it. The long-term goal is to give local communities a new area of woodland to enjoy as well as support wildlife and help improve air quality.”
Lloyd Jones, Forest Manager, North East Community Forest said: “It’s fantastic to be here with the children from North Fawdon Primary School to plant this Tiny Forest of 600 trees. It a true community engagement project which will help make the area cleaner and greener.”
Ben Williams, Senior Project Manager at Earthwatch Europe said: “We’re excited to plant two Tiny Forests here in Newcastle this week together with North East Community Forest and our partner local authorities – creating accessible green spaces that people of all ages can enjoy for decades to come. Tiny Forests are amazing community assets and provide an opportunity for people to make a real positive impact by supporting nature and biodiversity on their doorstep. Helping the trees take root and watching them flourish creates a very special connection with the forest and the wildlife that calls it their home.”
Nick Atkinson, Vice Chair of Freemen of Newcastle Upon Tyne said: “This is a brilliant scheme that we are really proud of. This project links into our larger planting scheme which will see 12,000 trees planted across eight town moors this year, a demonstration of our commitment to sustainable biodiversity, climate change mitigation, and helping the city’s’ lungs breathe.”
Carol Pyrah, Chief Executive of Urban Green Newcastle, said: “Providing opportunities for people to enjoy and benefit from the amazing green spaces we have in the city is central to the work we do at Urban Green Newcastle. That’s why we’re delighted to be part of this exciting project with partners from across the region.
“The Tiny Forest initiative not only allows communities to participate in the planting, it’s also an area where local people can continue to care for and maintain the trees, which really helps communities feel connected to their local park and green space.”
Each of the Tiny Forests is approximately 200m2, the size of a tennis court and are based on the ‘Miyawaki Method’, which uses species of trees that would occur naturally in an area and that work together to create a diverse, multi-layered forest community. The trees are densely planted to encourage growth.
The expansion of the project follows the successful planting of Tyne and Wear’s first Tiny Forest in West Denton in March 2023.
The North East Community Forest (NECF) is a multi-million pound collaborative partnership between local authorities, combined authorities, and national, regional and local charities and agencies which will see tens of thousands of trees planted over the next 30 years.