[Posted on behalf of Doug Edworthy]
Have you been thinking about planting some woodland or hedges on your land?
Our beautiful AONB in the High Weald is characterised by interlinked pockets of ancient woodland and small irregular-shaped fields and it is important to maintain and enhance this as much as possible. So, of course, it has to be ‘the right trees in the right places’.
Your Brightling and Dallington Tree Champion is seeking landowners with suitable land in Brightling and Dallington parishes that falls within the Dallington Forest Project area (see map above – larger version at end of this post) for planting-up of small woodlands or hedges. Dallington parishioner Jamie Simpson has a source of funding for the supply of native trees together with the necessary protection from rabbits and deer. The cost to landowners would be for planting labour and follow up aftercare necessary for successful establishment.
Suitable planting projects would be:
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- Creating new woodlands (with the proviso that important grassland or heathland habitat is not damaged or destroyed)
- Creating new woodland to link existing pockets of ancient woodland
- Filling gaps in neglected or poor condition hedges to restore them
- Replacing some of the enormous number of hedges that were removed in the 20th century’s drive for bigger agricultural fields
Planted trees/hedges must be able to be appreciated by the public, so must be within sight of a road, right of way or on public land. Grants need to be applied-for during the summer so that the funding is available for an autumn/winter planting project.
If you are interested in this project please contact me as soon as possible.
Doug Edworthy, Tree Champion, Brightling & Dallington Parish Councils treewarden@dallington.org.uk 07711 090925
