Miyawaki Micro-woods are brought to life across Lancashire

In 2024, Lancashire County Council and its partners started creating a series of Miyawaki Micro-woods by planting 9,300 trees at 11 sites across the county.  Some 24,000 more trees will be planted in a further 16 locations this year, thanks to a record £1million grant from the Forestry Commission, giving Lancashire one of the biggest Micro-wood networks in the United Kingdom.

Every pupil at Weeton Primary School, members of the local Roots to Branches forest school, local veterans, members of Lancashire County Council's Treescapes team and Councillor Shaun Turner, cabinet member for Environment and Climate Change, joined forces to plant the first 500 of 1,500 trees at Weeton Barracks earlier this month.

Miyawaki woods tree planting session

Councillor Shaun Turner, who also attended a recent tree planting sessions in Catterall said:

"It has been really fun to get involved and help out at some of the Miyawaki Micro-wood planting sessions. I have really enjoyed getting my hands dirty and meeting different members of the community. We are excited that we will be planting Miyawaki woods across every district in Lancashire.

"The trick is to dip the whips into a special micro-spore gunge that is good for the roots and plant them closely to each other. This woodland will mature in just 30 years, compared to the 200 years or so that it will usually take.

"We've been involving schoolchildren, army veterans, refugees and people of all ages across different planting sessions as it's really important that the community truly own this project and are part of it right from the very beginning."

The grant is also funding Miyawaki Micro-woods at Roundway in Fleetwood; John Smith's Playing Fields in Longridge; Astley Park in Chorley, Lancaster and Morecambe College; Witton Park in Blackburn; Edisford Bridge in Clitheroe; Bedford Park in Padiham; Lancaster Avenue in Helmshore; Dinmore Avenue in Blackpool; West End Park in Ormskirk; Archbishop Hutton's VC Primary School, Warton; Sparth Road, Clayton le Moors; St Catherine's Park, Lostock Hall; New Longton Recreation Ground and Nelson and Colne College in Barrowford.

Japanese botanist Dr Akira Miyawaki developed the tree planting technique, which involves enhancing the soil and planting trees closer together, resulting in faster growth than traditional techniques. This faster growth allows carbon to be absorbed faster.

Ian Wright, community engagement officer in the council's Treescapes team said:

"One of the great things about this type of woodland creation is that it provides instant and massive uplift for native wildlife in a way that few other nature conservation initiatives could ever do.

"We are involving a huge number of local people. For example, at Weeton Barracks we have had help from all of the children from the local school and from the army families."