The Northern Forest.

[Workingman]

A few years ago a plan was put in place to plant a new forest in a strip from Liverpool to Hull via Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds. The plan now has funds to plant a 50 million mix of native trees over 25 years - nearly six per person in the area.

I am all for it with the proviso that the trees are planted in random fashion, as you would find in natural woodland, with some clumps and some more open areas. We do not need them in neat columns and rows, football coupon wise.

I would also like to see shrubbery and smaller trees reintroduced on some of the moorland slopes of the Pennine hills as water management.

[Suff]

I thought the last part was already in process? Farmers were to be paid to leave parts of their land to trees and other flora.

[Workingman]

True, farmers can let land return to the wild - rewilding. I am talking about physically reintroducing woody things to the Pennine hills. I believe that it is on the table but not yet active. Sheep farmers are against it.

[TheOstrich]

There was a plan 10-15 years back for a "Midlands Forest" - a sort of massive Sherwood Forest extension - but apart from a few new plantations in the Ashby-de-la-Zouch area, I never saw any real evidence of it.
Jo might know better regarding the Cannock Chase area ....

[JoM]

Would that be the National Forest in the Burton/Barton Under Needwood/Alrewas sort of area Ossie?

Just this last week it’s been announced that there’s a proposal for 4000 trees and shrubs to be planted on land in Hednesford. The trees will make up a ‘Tiny Forest’, apparently that’s a ‘thing’ now. And it all sounds like a great idea until you see there area earmarked for it. They’ll be pulled out by the roots when the locals are bored.

[Suff]

True, farmers can let land return to the wild - rewilding. I am talking about physically reintroducing woody things to the Pennine hills. I believe that it is on the table but not yet active. Sheep farmers are against it.

I bet they are.

Then again most of England was wooded as was Scotland. Now England is planted with people and homes and Scotland is covered in heather and grass wherever it is not actively being farmed or forested. Mrs S and I walked through an area marked on the OS as "forest of" something or other. It was open grassland all around.

[TheOstrich]

Yes, thanks, that was the forestry scheme I was trying to remember, Jo.

They put a lot of signs up saying "National Forest", certainly around Alrewas, but I only recall passing a couple of locations on the M42 between Tamworth and Ashby where planting actually took place!

[cruiser2]

Several years ago a sheme was annouced localy that a new "forest2 was going to be planted in the area. Abot two acres near an existing woodland
was planted but no other large scale planting. There is plenty of open spaces where trees could be planted such as Rivington.
But houses and commercial premises provide money for councils. Trees don't

[JoM]

Yes, thanks, that was the forestry scheme I was trying to remember, Jo.

They put a lot of signs up saying "National Forest", certainly around Alrewas, but I only recall passing a couple of locations on the M42 between Tamworth and Ashby where planting actually took place!

Yes, there are plenty of signs over that way but not many trees to be seen.

Tom works in Barton Under Needwood which falls within this National Forest, his classroom looks out on woodland but that’s just a happy coincidence, the trees are fully grown so not part of the recent planting.