Thousands of arboretum trees planted after disease

Almost 7,000 trees have been planted at an arboretum by community groups, schools and colleges since last year.

From November to late March, 3,400 trees were planted at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, to reach a total of 6,700 in a year.

The mass planting came as part of a group effort to restore three hectares (7.4 acres) of ancient woodland that was devastated by ash dieback, a fungal disease that kills ash trees.

Claire McDougall, chief executive of mental health and learning disability charity Phoenix Enterprises, whose group helped plant 76 trees in February, said it allowed those involved to "learn skills you just don't get in a warehouse environment".

"They're also having time to think about wellbeing and being present in nature, which really helps with their mental health, and helps broaden their horizons," she said.

More than 900 people from 40 groups spent 140 hours digging, planting, and protecting the mix of mostly native trees over the winter as part of the Silk Wood Community Planting Project.

They included individuals from 13 schools, a university, 12 youth groups and 14 other groups based in and around Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol.

The project is specifically engaging with young people, people from disadvantaged backgrounds, those with neurodiverse conditions and a broad range of ethnicities.

Westonbirt will invite groups back in the summer to help care for the young trees they helped to plant.

It said it hoped to plant 9,000 trees by April 2026.

The planting project has been funded and supported by The Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Julia Rausing Trust and others.

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