GREEN GUIDE - Markham Publishing

A template for community forestsThe Forest of Avon is an ambitious and long-term environmental projectbased in and around Bristol. For over a decade the Forest has beentransforming landscapes and generating social and economic benefits.The Forest of Avon is one of twelve communityforests throughout England. Together theseCommunity Forests make up the biggest environmentalinitiative in the country. All of theCommunity Forests are located around major townsand cities and deliver a unique mixture of environmental,economic and social regeneration.To cut a long story short, the forest area covers 220square miles and since 1992, we have: Planted a million trees Involved thousands of people in creating, managingand using green spaces Created and improved many miles of publicpaths and trails for walking, cycling, horse riding,commuting and healthy living. Opened up hundreds of hectares of woodlandand wildlife sites for public use. Created new business opportunities through oursuccessful marketing co-operative. Helped bring millions of pounds of investmentinto the area.Planting a million trees in the Forest of Avon hasbeen no easy task with land in the area comingunder increasing pressure in recent years – but thebenefits are very real.From new community woodland sites, schoolgrounds and motorway verges to street trees,hedgerow planting and extending existing woodlands– the trees have helped filter pollution, reduceCO2 and noise pollution and create higher levels ofoxygen, often in dense urban areas that need it most.Then there are the visual aspects – trees can screenurban eyesores and transform man-made environments.Greening in turn has a direct impact on localeconomics, attracting people, companies andinvestors as well as affecting house prices.Tree planting within the Forest of Avon has also hadan enormous impact on biodiversity. This is bestillustrated where open fields have been transformedinto broadleaved woodlands, which, when fullymature, constitute one of the richest mixtures ofplants and wildlife on the planet.Although it may take hundreds of years for the richesthabitats to form, when planting native trees, itonly takes 10-15 years for the development ofyoung woodland, supporting an amazing array ofwildlife. Fifteen years after planting a site you canexpect to find field mice, voles, owls, kestrels andbirds of pray, invertebrates, insects, dragonflies,native birds and wild plants as well as badgers,foxes, woodland birds, woodpeckers and bats.The creation of new community woodlands generatesendless opportunities for health and leisure withnew environments that people want to be a part of.Woodlands provide the healthiest possible environmentfor this – the air is clean, noise levels are lowand people often describe a feeling of calm when ina woodland environment.Central to health and leisure opportunities in woodlandsis open public access. New community woodlandsare planted close to communities, many areeven maintained by their local communities andthey are always designed with public access routesto enable people to get out into the woodlands.There is a fifty-year vision for the transformation ofthe area and, while we still have a long way to go, aconsiderable start has been made. The project isgradually having more of an impact regionally andwe now provide a model for community forestryacross the South West.To find out more, including how to donate a tree or tobuy products made from local wood, call on 0117 9532141 or visit www.forestofavon.org.uk339