New woodland continuing to grow in Charnwood

Published: Wed 11th September, 2024

A 15-acre community woodland in Hathern is continuing to grow after 14,000 trees were planted in 2022.

Charnwood Borough Council created the community woodland on council-owned land in Hathern.

Around 14,500 trees were planted in October 2022 to create Hathern Community Woodland. It is one of the biggest tree planting schemes the Council has ever undertaken in one location.

The Council is continuing to maintain the site to help trees become more established and ensure it can be enjoyed by residents.

Cllr Anne Gray, the Council’s lead member for open spaces said: “It is great to see the woodland starting to grow. Clearly, it has many more years before it’s fully established but it is already bringing positive benefits for residents in the area.

“The Council is committed to providing and maintaining high-quality open spaces across the borough. I hope people continue to watch it grow over many years to come.”

The woodland which is off Golden Square in Hathern is a total area of 18-acres and were former arable fields used for growing crops.

The community woodland is also part of the Council’s commitment to reduce its impact on the environment. It is estimated that after 30 years, Hathern Community Woodland will have the potential to capture up to 1,323 tonnes carbon dioxide.

At the time of planting the woodland, a number of sessions were held, and local residents were invited to get involved with the planting to create the woodland.

Around 90 people took part and over 1,700 trees were planted by volunteers.

Hathern Parish Council worked with the borough council and Hathern Wildlife Group to plant a variety of fruit trees including apple and plum to create an orchard on the site.

The fruit trees were nurtured by the group on its allotment before being moved to the community woodland.

Cllr Ben Murdoch, chair of Hathern Parish Council added: “The Parish Council was pleased to work with everyone involved on this project and it is fantastic to see the trees growing well.

“I would also like to thank councillors at Hathern Parish Council throughout a number of years who have helped make the woodland happen.

“The community woodland is a welcome addition to Hathern and I hope residents will enjoy it in many years to come.”

The trees at Hathern Community Woodland were also planted in support of the Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC). Thousands of trees were planted across the UK in 2022 as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

For more information about Hathern Community Woodland, please visit our webpage.

You can also keep up to date with this project and other updates from the Council by signing up to receive email alerts.