Tree planting in Woodingdean helps restore disease-hit habitats

A small forest of 1,000 trees was planted in Woodingdean this weekend to help replace disease-hit areas of woodland.

A mixture of disease-resistant elms and native deciduous species, such as hawthorn, hazel, blackthorn and field maple, were delivered to Woodingdean and planted by volunteers in a community event.

Woodingdean Lawn Memorial Park is one of 20 sites where more than 23,000 trees will be planted this winter as part of a project by South Downs National Park (SDNP).

Planting event organiser and chairwoman of Woodingdean Wilderness Group, Clare Millett Hopkins, said: “The SDNP volunteers and Neil Doyle, the city parks ranger, did an amazing job of preparing the site before the planting event.

“They cleared scrub on the planting line, organised for piles of woodchip to be available for mulching and got us started.

“It was a lovely opportunity to bring everyone together, of all ages, to plant the trees and support our wildlife and build an appreciation for our natural environment.”

Between 100 and 200 trees at Woodingdean Lawn Memorial Park were felled last winter due to ash dieback and Dutch elm disease, where trees develop dark brown or orange lesions on the leaves and patches of brown, dying leaves.

A total of 950 trees were planted at the community event on Saturday, 2 December by 27 volunteers, with the other 50 to be planted in January on the wildlife hedge on the Woodingdean Wildlife Group patch.

The project comes as research from the Woodland Trust shows that one third of all woodland species in the UK are in decline and one in 10 is at risk of extinction.

Nick Heasman, a countryside and policy manager for SDNP, said: “Our tree-scape supports a wealth of wildlife, from rare insects to nesting birds and complex fungi.

“They also give us air to breathe, with a single mature tree producing enough oxygen in a year to sustain 10 people.

“However, our wonderful trees are under unprecedented threat from an ever-increasing number of pests and diseases, as well as climate change.

“They’re under threat from climate change, but trees are also part of the solution as the ultimate carbon capturer.

“The entire woodland ecosystem plays a massive role in locking up carbon, including the wood, roots, leaves, soils and associated plants.

“Increasing the number and diversity of our native trees, and carefully introducing new species into the landscape, is going to be a big help in responding to all these threats and also helping to reverse biodiversity loss.”