Tree Planting Volunteer Day
Written by Tir Coed / Friday 18 January 2019
Last week Adam and I accompanied 6 Tir Coed trainees to Southwood Farm, a National Trust site above Newgale in Pembrokeshire, where we planted nearly 600 hedgerow trees with supports and guards for the Long Forest Project.
The Long Forest Project has 4 focus areas across Wales - including Pembrokeshire. The aim is to manage, improve and extend hedgerows while raising awareness of their history and importance. The project is facilitated by Keep Wales Tidy in partnership with the Woodland Trust with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. Further volunteer and training opportunities will arise through the project so it is a great contact for our trainees to have to help them increase the knowledge and skills they have developed with Tir Coed.
The group of volunteers was made up of trainees from different Tir Coed courses. Tree planting experience is very useful if you are interested in woodland working. The task can also be therapeutic, especially when carried out in such beautiful surroundings. We were very lucky with the weather which always helps when working outdoors!
The day was led by National Trust Ranger Alys and Volunteer Ranger Miriam, who took us to a sheltered corner of the site which overlooked Newgale Bay to plant the trees beside an existing hedgerow to strengthen it and make it more suitable for migrating animals. Some of our participants are interested in ranger work and therefore it was a good opportunity for them to find out more about the role from people who are actually doing it.
Everyone enjoyed the day which was, for some, their first experience of tree planting! We look forward to growing our partnerships with the Long Forest Project and the National Trust.
