Youngsters help to plant more than 850 trees to create thriving micro‑forest

Youngsters from Treales Church of England Primary School, aged four to 11 years old, took part in a recent day of tree planting on the village field behind the school and Christ Church, when they planted a mixture of native woodland trees and shrubs.

They were helped by County Councillor Joshua Roberts, Lancashire County Council's cabinet member for Rural Affairs, Environment and Communities; members of the Treescapes team; and Treales, Roseacre and Wharles parish councillors, who all joined in with the fun of planting the first few dozen of the small saplings.

In 2024, Lancashire County Council and its partners started creating a series of Miyawaki Micro-forests. Since then, the council's Treescapes team have planted at least one micro forest in each district of Lancashire. This project was made possible with the support of a grant from The Tree Council and DEFRA’s Trees Outside Woodland Fund.

County Councillor Joshua Roberts said:

"I really enjoyed helping out at my first micro-forest planting session. The tree-planting technique included dipping the tree roots into a fungus solution before planting different varieties closely together.

"It was great to meet members of the community at the planting session and I helped youngsters from the school escape after getting stuck in the mud up to the top of their wellies during our very funny, muddy day out!

"The micro-forest scheme is phenomenal and the Treales site is the 31st one to be planted in Lancashire, bring the total of trees in Lancastrian micro-forests to more than 35,000, which is incredible.

"Another 10 new micro-forests are being created across Lancashire this winter. This is the best time for this work as the tree planting season in the UK runs from November to March. This is the trees' dormant season, allowing their roots to establish before the growing season begins."

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 sped-up process allows important wildlife habitats to form much more quickly than they would do normally, giving them almost-instant resilience to drought, flood, and vandalism. 

Councillor Jane Barnes, chair of the Treales, Roseacre and Wharles Parish Council, joined in the fun at the tree-planting session.

She said: "We've worked very closely with Lancashire County Council to create a mini forest, with the help of community groups, the school and schoolchildren. It will have a glade in the middle for the children to learn about the environment.

"We're delighted to be able to have this space and for everybody to have come out to help us to plant it."

Find out more about keeping warm, safe and well this winter, as well as staying active and making the most of new opportunities here: Winter in Lancashire - Lancashire County Council