Around 3500 trees have been planted on top of a former landfill site in Mansfield Woodhouse as part of the Trees for Climate project.
The Mansfield District Council site of three hectares (7.6 acres) was originally a quarry before being used for landfill in the 1950s.
With no agricultural value, the land has had little use over the years and was put forward as a number of suitable plots around the district which could be used for new recreational woodland and is the final site to have been planted since 2023.
The mammoth task to plant all the saplings and shrubs, has been managed over the past eight weeks by Sherwood Forest Trust, a local conservation charity which has marshalled a team of 180 volunteers to help out.
Trees for Climate has been a government funded project, managed locally by Greenwood Community Forest, a Nottinghamshire County Council initiative that works in partnership with four local councils in the county.
They include Mansfield where the district has benefitted from £61,000 in funding to create new woodlands, with around 7000 trees being planted since 2023 with the help of nearly 500 volunteers.
It is estimated that each tree can capture up to 150 kg of carbon per year. With the additional 3500 trees planted, this can expect to capture up to 525 metric tonnes of carbon annually. That’s equivalent to 60,000 petrol driven car journeys of 50 miles each – helping to improve air quality and overall quality of life.
The Greenwood Community Forest, along with another 14 community forests in England, was awarded funding from the government’s Nature for Climate fund in 2021 to plant millions of trees across England to help mitigate global warming and climate change.
Among the species to be planted are oak, rowan, birch, alder, dogwood and holly. At other sites the species have also included hazel, maple, willow, cherry, beech, poplar, horse chestnut, hawthorn, blackthorn, broom, and gorse.
When choosing the locations, consideration was given to avoid any potential impact on neighbouring properties with overhanging branches and root growth. The council also ensured the tree species selected for planting on the sites would not grow out of control, or require significant maintenance by the parks team.
Executive mayor Andy Abrahams said, “’he Trees for Climate scheme has seen thousands of trees planted in the district and our huge thanks go the Greenwood Community Forest and to Sherwood Forest Trust and the hundreds of volunteers who have helped out over the past couple of years to get these young trees into the ground.
‘It has been hard work carried out in all weathers but it has generated tremendous community spirit with people of all ages coming together to improve their neighbourhoods.
‘In 15 years’ time these new trees will really begin to transform these sites, helping to capture carbon and regenerating these open spaces into beautiful recreational woodlands that will help wildlife to thrive and which everyone can enjoy.
‘Planting trees is an important part of contributing towards achieving net zero and is just one the ways the council is addressing climate action.’
Helen Sullivan, chief executive of the Sherwood Forest Trust, added: ‘It has been great to work with local communities to plant these trees. It has been an enormous undertaking but it shows just what can be achieved when we all work together.
‘And when people get involved in projects like this, it helps to engender a sense of belonging, interest and care for their local environment. These new woodlands are for everyone to enjoy – and for everyone to care for and respect.’
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