More than 4,000 trees being planted at wood in Sutton Coldfield

Keith Dudley, Tina Swani and Jane Mosson joined the planting of more than 4,000 trees at the site, assisted by children from Little Sutton Primary School, following the recently harvested Corsican pine.

The entire site is due to be restocked with 4,500 trees of both UK-grown hardwoods and a mix of conifers to aid the establishment of the crop.

The next phase of planting will take place in May, ahead of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations, where a central feature yew tree will be planted.

The trust will enlist the help of local schools again later in the year to help with a further phase of planting in the autumn. This aims to engage the local community in a project that will benefit Sutton Coldfield for generations to come.

The decision to fell and replace previous trees caused fury among local residents last year but the trust says the move came after it sought specialist forestry advice over the past two to three years, which revealed that the previous crop of Corsican pine had reached its potential and would have gone into decline – causing increased safety issues and fire risks to nature and local residents, due to lack of vegetation and plants.

Tina Swani, chief executive of Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust, said: “It’s hugely rewarding to see our long-held plans come to fruition at Manorial Wood, which will support a greater mix of woodland plants and wildlife.

"The previous Corsican pine trees were in dire need of harvesting and replanting, due to the stock reaching its potential, lack of undergrowth and ongoing fire risk.”

“We are delighted that Little Sutton Primary School is involved, the woods are big part of the environment of Sutton and what a way to get the next generation involved in helping to improve the future of the town.”

Rachel Davis, headteacher at Little Sutton Primary School, said: “We are very excited about being part of a project to plant 4,500 trees that will create a broad-leaved, biodiverse woodland to benefit generations to come.

“At Little Sutton we feel it is really important to prepare our pupils to be good citizens, so we work hard to instil positive values and opportunities for them to make an impact in our community.

"Our pupils are passionate about playing their part in making the world a better place, and this fantastic project will enable them to do this by looking after the local environment.”

An environmentally sustainable approach is being taken at Manorial Wood that includes biodegradable tree protectors being used, instead of plastic, to prevent damage from small animals as the trees become established.