2400 trees have been planted at four new “Tiny Forests” across Coventry.
The Coventry Society has previously reported on the concept of Tiny Forests. These are small densely planted tree areas about the size of a tennis court.
Four new sites have now been planted in this way. They are at Foresters Road in Cheylesmore, Bell Green Road in Bell Green, Nickson Road in Tile Hill and Thimbler Road in Canley.
The Tiny Forest idea is an initiative by Earthwatch Europe. The four sites planted are on land managed by Citizen Housing. Local school children and community volunteers have been involved in the planting.
Elly Dix, Citizen Housing’s head of estates and services, said they felt the project had helped lead to a positive change for their managed green areas, adding: “We decided to get involved in this project as it’s a great helping the environment.
“In each of these areas there is grass which we used to cut, but now trees have been planted, better use will be made of this land. This includes encouraging wildlife and people being able to use the area as benches will also be installed.
“It was also lovely to see pupils from Manor Park Primary school get involved in the planting too.
“We want to work with our partners to make a positive difference to our communities and this is a good example of this.”
The project has been spearheaded by the Forestry Commission’s Local Authority Treescape Fund with matched funding by TBL Fire Protection, Westfield Speciality Insurance and Redevco.
The process was supported further through resources funded by the National Lottery Community Action Fund.
Earthwatch Europe says it started the Tiny Forest Project to bring dense green spaces back to urban areas, giving wildlife space to thrive, mitigating the impacts of climate change and stimulating local communities.
Hannah Davidson, Earthwatch Europe’s senior programme manager, said: “Green spaces don’t have to be vast to make a big difference. Tiny Forests provide rich opportunities for connecting with nature and supporting local biodiversity.”