morefromtrees Keeping you up-to-date on the latest news from Sefton on creating The Mersey Autumn 2011

2010/11 in figures

£5 of projects for Photo: McCoy Wynne every £1 invested The Mersey Forest continues to A welcome from Cllr Barry provide great value for money, especially in the current economic Griffiths and Pat McCloskey climate. Local authorities gained £5 worth of green projects for every £1 This summer we celebrated the 20th they invested in The Mersey Forest in birthday of The Mersey Forest with a 10/11. woodland carnival (pictured above) at Risley Moss. The annual contribution of £18,155 per authority led to the delivery of £834,611 of projects right here on Over these two decades there have our doorsteps thanks to the way The been many changes to organisations and structures, but those Mersey Forest Team levers in extra we all face at present are possibly the most challenging. funds.

In the midst of all this change some great work continues as you Investment will see in the stories below, and the demand from communities Return is greater than ever - highlighting the need to continue working together to create The Mersey Forest. Highlights from Cllr Barry Griffiths Pat McCloskey Sefton Member for The Mersey Forest, Chair of The Mersey Forest Sefton Council Partnership 4.2 hectares of new woodland planting has been achieved within Sefton. This is an area the size of five and a half football pitches.

96 street have Follow us on Twitter been planted to enhance Sefton’s neighbourhoods. Join our 320 followers on Twitter, an excellent way

to keep up to date with the latest Forest news. www.twitter.com/merseyforest 66 hectares of existing woodland has been brought into management to secure its future. Latest local stories Page 2

National award for Sefton outdoor lessons research

A Sefton-based research project families also taking place, both in of Sports Sciences, which this year by The Mersey Forest and and out of school. was held in Liverpool. Liverpool John Moores University on the benefits to children of Researchers found that the ‘Forest Thousands more kids take part outdoor lessons has scooped a School’ sessions improved the Since the research project, a national award. children’s confidence, social skills further 2,500 children in Sefton and knowledge and interest in and the rest of The Mersey Forest Den building the natural world. The children’s area have gone on to take part in The Natural Play in the Forest outdoor imaginative play at home Forest School lessons. study followed the progress of 17 also increased. Year Two pupils from Norwood Funding Primary School to see how they Award winner The research project and The benefited from regular lessons This summer the project won a Mersey Forest’s work to embed in woodland environments over National Recognition award at a Forest Schools in local primaries a period of 12 weeks. Sessions symposium on Children’s Physical were both funded through included den building, mini-beast Activity Interventions as part of Natural England’s Natural hunting and fire safety, with the build up to the 16th Annual Connections programme. activities for the participants’ Congress of the European College Latest local stories Page 3

Super street trees for Sefton

Exploring The Mersey Forest

What is The Mersey Forest?

The Mersey Forest is a growing Photo: Monty Rakusen network of woodlands and green spaces spread across Cheshire Sefton will be brighter and healthier from this winter onwards and Merseyside, which has been with the arrival of up to 200 new street trees thanks to The creating ‘woodlands on your Mersey Forest. doorstep’ since 1994.

Local people at heart of project The Forest is one of the leading The local community will be placed at the heart of the project environmental regeneration thanks to a grassroots consultation which will see Mersey Forest initiatives in the North West. staff taking to the streets of Bootle and Seaforth to discuss Through community and what species of trees local residents would like to see. Residents partnership working, we have will also be supported to get involved in watering the trees planted more than 8 million trees and helping look after them. As well as door-to-door chats – equivalent to five new trees for and residents’ surveys, The Mersey Forest will also be taking every person living within the advantage of previous links made with local groups as part of Forest area. the community-led planting of more than 180 street trees in the south Sefton area since 2008 (pictured above). Once again Sefton We achieve all of this and more Council’s Trees and Woodlands officers will lead on arranging the through our partnership of seven planting and supplying match funding to ensure that the scheme local authorities (Cheshire West runs smoothly. and Chester, Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St.Helens & Funding Warrington), landowners, the Funding for the project is provided by Section 106 monies Commission, Natural through Sefton Council, the national Big Plant campaign, England and businesses including and the through the Setting the Scene for United Utilities. Growth programme funded by the NWDA. merseyforest.org.uk Latest local stories Page 4

Pulling out all the stops

This autumn, The Mersey Forest and Sefton Council are set to to redouble their efforts to provide an outdoor learning area for Merefield Special School in the face of major challenges posed by conditions within the school’s grounds (pictured above).

Eager for outdoor learning zone The school is eager to have a mini-woodland so that children can enjoy outdoor Forest School lessons, which have been shown to improve kids’ confidence and self-esteem and help them re- connect with nature. Meanwhile a beefed up tree future schemes to planting campaign will be future-proof them for coming Tree planting difficulties conducted this winter within the decades. However, previous tree planting school’s grounds, with potential attempts in the school’s grounds tactics set to include bringing Funding have been beset by difficulties extra top soil on to the site to The Mersey Forest has secured due to the combination of the alleviate the sandy conditions 50% funding towards the project site’s hillside location, sandy soil and give the trees a better from ForeStClim, an EU-funded and ravenous rabbits. opportunity to grow, and robust climate change project. As part rabbit guards to prevent young of ForeStClim, The Mersey Forest Finding solutions saplings from being eaten. works with partner organisations The Mersey Forest and Sefton in Germany, France, the Council have worked with the Climate change learning Netherlands and Luxembourg school to come up with a new opportunities to develop forestry strategies to approach to be implemented this The difficult nature of the help local communities adapt to autumn and winter to overcome school’s grounds make the site projected climate change. The the problems. New pathways and a useful test area to see how school is providing the other 50% gateways are to be created to different plant species cope in of the funding. link the school to a small existing adverse conditions. With climate wooded area (pictured below) change in the UK set to put trees alongside its grounds, where under stress due to increased pupils will be able to enjoy Forest temperatures and more frequent School lessons while the school’s droughts, identifying robust own mini-woodland is being species at Merefield will help to created. guide the choice of species in Latest local stories Page 5

Spotlight on Altcar - “A greener place than 20 years ago”

On top of planting 100,000 trees Next chapter Service for local woodland owners over the past two decades, Altcar The next chapter in the story of and managers about how to Training Camp has now become the site will see a programme of generate income from timber an important venue for woodland woodland thinning taking place sales. This forms part of The training courses – helping to this winter to ensure the future Mersey Forest’s drive to support make Sefton an even greener health of the young woodland both the supply of and demand place. and to improve conditions for for local timber in Merseyside and wildlife. This work, spanning 18 Cheshire in order to strengthen Key landowner hectares (an area the size of 25 the rural economy and promote The Training Camp has been a football pitches), will also help to local renewable materials. major tree planter over the past meet the objectives of the Sefton 20 years, including the creation Coast Woodlands Forest Plan. A course for fellow landowners of the site’s Army Cadet Force within the Sefton Coast woodland in 2005 with funding Woodland training courses Woodlands Forest Plan was also from a Mersey Forest ICEP Grant. It As well as improving its own held at Altcar this year, focusing has been a key landowner within woodland, Altcar Training Camp on encouraging good silvicultural the Sefton Coast Woodlands is also now an important venue practice within the woodlands. Forest Plan partnership, with for woodland training courses. In the site’s young pines important September 2011, it hosted a one- to the future of the area’s red day course as part of The Mersey squirrels. Forest’s Woodland Advisory Latest Forest-wide stories Page 6

Photo: McCoy Wynne

“The Mersey Forest is looking fantastic after twenty years”

More than a thousand people Action-packed day Paul Nolan, Director of The Mersey celebrated two decades of The Activities throughout the day Forest, said: “A huge variety of Mersey Forest at a “carnival in the included storytelling woodland people are involved in creating The ” this summer. walks, den building, puppet Mersey Forest, from schools who shows and willow weaving, have planted woodlands in their 8 million trees planted in 20yrs with the soundtrack to the grounds, to community volunteers The event at Risley Moss Local carnival provided by innovative helping look after their local Nature Reserve in Warrington musicians Urban Strawberry woods, to a wide range of partner was held to thank all those Lunch who perform using recycled organisations. The woodland who’ve been involved in planting instruments made from junk. carnival was about thanking them more than 8 million trees across all, as well as looking ahead to Merseyside and North Cheshire “Looking fantastic” the next 20 years of continuing to over the past twenty years. Pam Warhurst said: “The Mersey improve the local environment.” Forest is looking fantastic after The carnival was opened by Chair 20 years and it’s all down to the The carnival was part of of the Forestry Commission Pam contributions that thousands of Warrington Borough Council’s Warhurst, Warrington North MP people have made.” annual Green Safari event, run with Helen Jones, and Chair of Risley Risley Moss Action Group. Moss Action Group, Andy Pearson. Latest Forest-wide stories Page 7

Photo: McCoy Wynne

£250,000 for local tree planting

Merseyside and North Cheshire trees, woodlands and mini- improve our neighbourhoods is set to benefit from tens of orchards. for the benefit of all. It will be thousands of new trees thanks to fantastic to see the impact of more than a quarter of a million The Big Tree Plant brings the many tree planting projects pounds worth of funding offered together national tree-planting that this funding will support to The Mersey Forest. organisations and local groups across Merseyside and North working with Defra and the Cheshire.” The Big Tree Plant Forestry Commission. The The national Big Tree Plant campaign is supported by grant The Mersey Forest funding campaign has set aside £255,000 funding of £4 million over the was applied for through over the next four years to next four years to get more Community Northwest, support tree planting and people in local communities the charity that supports The get people involved in their planting and caring for trees. Mersey Forest, Pennine Edge environment across the local area. Forest and Red Rose Forest Starting this autumn, The Mersey Improving neighbourhoods - the latter of which has also Forest will use the funds to help Pam Warhurst, Chair of the been offered an additional community groups, schools and Forestry Commission, said: £184,000 for tree planting in local residents to brighten their “The Big Tree Plant is all about Greater Manchester. neighbourhoods with new street bringing people together to Latest Forest-wide stories Page 8

Making the case for community woodlands

Last winter’s outcry over plans for public woodlands led to the announcement of a national review of England’s approach to woods and forests. As part of this, The Mersey Forest has been making the case for the importance of community woodlands for people, wildlife and economy.

Visit by Chair of Panel Chairing the Independent Panel on Forestry set up to advise the government is the Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones. In June,

The Mersey Forest and partners Photo: Tony Beyga took the Bishop to see a brand new community woodland in action and talk to local residents of view and took on board all the The paper argues that the current who have benefited from the comments and feedback. debate needs to focus on “how project. we can increase the amount of “We hope he took away a positive woodland, protect what we have One year on from being planted, impression and he could clearly and maximise its public benefits”. Mab Lane Community Woodland see the amount of hard work and It tackles the issue from three has been named as Merseyside’s effort that has gone into making angles: forestry for commerce, Neighbourhood Improvement the woodland a very valuable forestry for community, and Project of the year and been community resource.” forestry for climate. proclaimed “a brilliant idea” by local residents who say it has All at The Mersey Forest wish the A round-table discussion was also “really changed the area”. Bishop a speedy recovery from held with partners from across his recent ill-health, and we look the local area to feed into The “Valuable community resource” forward to working with him Mersey Forest’s formal response to As part of his visit to the again soon. the Independent Panel’s “call for woodland, the Bishop heard from views”. members of the local community Mersey Forest paper launched about the difference that the The Mersey Forest has also Read the paper at: woodland had made to the area, launched a paper entitled www.merseyforest.org.uk/files/ with local resident Tony Beyga “Seeing the for the trees - seeingthewoodforthetrees.pdf commenting: the Forestry Review and why it matters”, which draws upon the “Bishop Jones appeared very Forest’s twenty years’ experience impressed with the woodlands in . and listened to everyone’s point Latest Forest-wide stories Page 9

Sustainable creature comforts

As winter approaches, The Forest has mapped ‘off gas’ parts Mersey Forest is working to give of Cheshire and Warrington, and local businesses and residents made contact with businesses in a renewable choice for their these areas to provide advice on heating, using wood as a fuel. changing away from increasingly expensive alternative fuels such Online calculator as heating oil and coal. The Mersey Forest has launched an online calculator to help Helping landowners to grow businesses and consumers wood for fuel explore the financial and carbon Through its Woodland Advisory benefits of switching to a wood Service, The Mersey Forest is also fuel boiler to take advantage of now offering free support and the government’s Renewable training on growing wood for from their own row of trees in a Heat Incentive (RHI). fuel for eligible woodland owners young at Northwich’s and managers in Merseyside and Carey Park which is in need of The free tool at www. Halton. thinning. merseyforest.org.uk/rhicalculator is believed to be the first of its This will include advising on This is of broader interest since kind, and provides users with opportunities to benefit from thanks to the work of The Mersey estimates of how much they the new Woodfuel Woodland Forest Partnership over the past would earn from the RHI, how Improvement Grant launched by twenty years, there is now a whole quickly their boiler would pay for the Forestry Commission to fund cohort of young woodlands across itself, the expected difference in the thinning of woodland and the Merseyside and North Cheshire annual fuel bill and what return extraction of timber. By building that will soon be in a similar they could see after 20 years. both supply of and demand for position. Therefore eyes are on the woodfuel in Merseyside and pilot project to see the viability of It is hoped that the new tool Cheshire, The Mersey Forest is the ‘allotment’ approach at other will encourage organisations working to not only support the sites across The Mersey Forest and residents to emulate the local economy, but also show how area. recently opened Hope Academy sustainable renewable fuel can in Newton-Le-Willows, which be part of the solution to climate Funding has installed a boiler change and energy security. Funding for the RHI calculator and solar panels which together and Woodland Advisory Service provide 100% of its heating and allotment comes from the Mersey Rural hot water requirements. The Mersey Forest has also Leader programme, Defra and the teamed up with Northwich Northwest Regional Development Off the gas grid community group the Friends of Agency. The NWDA also co-funded The calculator is already Anderton and Marbury to launch the project to support ‘off gas’ highlighting the particular a pilot ‘wood fuel allotment’ that businesses alongside the Cheshire advantages of biomass for those may prove to be the way forward and Warrington Economic in off-grid areas whose properties for many of the area’s young Commission. aren’t connected to mains gas. woodlands. The test project will In anticipation of these findings, enable local stove and fire owners over the past year The Mersey to pay a small fee to harvest logs Photo: McCoy Wynne

Want to know more or get involved? Contact Paul Nolan, Director, The Mersey Forest 01925 816217 mail@merseyforest merseyforest.org.uk