The Woodland Trust is the UK's leading charity dedicated solely to the protection of our native woodland heritage. The Woodland Trust aim to protect and manage woodlands for the good of both local people and wildlife. Since being founded in 1972 we have grown to care and protect over 1000 sites covering 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). This includes nationally and internationally important sites as well as small urban and village woods. In Cheshire and Merseyside The Woodland Trust manage over 72 woodlands. This area comprises 450 hectares of woodland including a SSSI, two SAC and 8 ASNW.
The Woodland Trust has a clear vision for its future:
| There should be no further loss of ancient woodland. |
| To see woodland biodiversity restored and improved. |
| To see an increase in the area of new native woodland. |
| To see an increase in people's awareness and enjoyment of woodland. |
If you have any queries about the Woodland Trust contact Tim Kirwin, Cheshire and Merseyside Woodland Officer via our head office on 01476 581111 or visit our website www.woodland -trust.org.uk
What we do
- By acquiring woodland sites we bring them into our care and protection in perpetuity. Many of our woods were previously under threat from development pressure or unsympathetic management.
- Woodland Trust woods are sympathetically managed for wildlife and public enjoyment. Woodland Officers organise their specialist care throughout the UK in accordance with our Woodland Management Principles. (Click here for more information about our Woodland Management Principles)
- We also replace those woods that have been lost to landscape and create more new native woodland than practically anyone else in the UK.
- The Woodland Trust uses its experience and authority in conservation to influence others who are in a position to improve the future of native woodland. This includes government, other landowners and like-minded organisations. (see our Millennium Challenges for Government)
What we have achieved so far ...
Woodland Protection
- Nearly 360 of our sites contain ancient woodland, over 6,200 hectares, of which 70 per cent is semi-natural ancient woodland - land which has never been cleared or replanted by man.
- We also protect over 110 woodland Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the UK's finest examples of wildlife habitats.
Woodland Creation
- We have created 3,200 hectares of new native woodland and are
continuing with our Tree For all Project into the future. This project involves planting a tree for every child under 16 in the UK. This equates to 12 million trees. Our aim is to get 1 million of these planted by the children themselves by 2009.
- Our Millennium Commission backed Woods on your Doorstep project has created 200 new community woods in England and Wales and 50 more in Northern Ireland.
- We are creating one of the largest broadleaved woods in Scotland at the 4170-hectare Glen Finglas Estate in the Trossachs.
- We own 20 sites covering 430 hectares (1060 acres) in the National Forest in the Midlands and have sites in all 12 Community Forests across England. In this way we are major contributors to projects which are improving the lives of millions of people.
Woodland Management
- The Woodland Trust is the first major landowner in England and Wales to have all its woods certified under the Forest Stewardship Council's UK Standard of Sustainable Forestry - an independent endorsement of the quality of our woodland management.
- Several Woodland Trust woods have received awards for good management. This includes Joyden's Wood in Kent and Willesley Wood within the National Forest in Leicestershire which have both won Forestry Commission Centre of Excellence Awards, and Coed Hafod y Llyn in Gywnedd which has won a Forestry Commission Merit Award.
The online directory provides access to information on over 1,000 woods and wood groups (as determined by Woodland Trust management plans), in the Trust's care, covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). This information is kept automatically up to date and will highlight new woods acquired since the printing of the last directory, currently August 2002.
