Buckinghamshire branches out and creates its eighth Tiny Forest

A Tiny Forest is a dense, fast-growing, woodland made up of 600 native deciduous trees planted in a tennis court-sized plot. They not only create a great home for butterflies, birds, bees and other local wildlife, but are an inspiring resource for people to enjoy, and can provide a range of benefits in the fight against climate change.

Councillor Thomas Broom, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment said:

“Creating eight Tiny Forests in Buckinghamshire shows our continued commitment to a long-term programme of tree planting across the whole county.

“Trees play a pivotal role in our actions to address climate change in Buckinghamshire. We are striving to improve biodiversity by creating more space for nature to grow and thrive and this will help to improve air quality.

“We are enormously grateful to the many partners, local groups, residents and organisations who continue to support us with their efforts, we even had young environmentalists asking to come back again the next day for more!”

Funded by the Forestry Commission’s Local Authority Treescape Fund, Buckinghamshire Council worked with environmental organisation Earthwatch Europe to design and prepare this new woodland, with volunteers coming together on Tuesday 3 December to plant the Tiny Forest.

Planting involved volunteers from Wycombe’s Millbrook Combined School’s school council, students from Uxbridge High School (who were studying the riverbank in the park), local residents, passing community police officers and Councillor Thomas Broom, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment and Deputy Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Jilly Jordan.

Other areas in Buckinghamshire that have already benefitted from the creation of Tiny Forests include:

Cannock Road – Aylesbury North ward

Walton Court – Aylesbury South-West ward

Totteridge Rec – Terriers and Amersham Hill ward, Wycombe

Booker Rec – Booker, Cressex and Castlefield ward, Wycombe

Hamilton Academy – Terriers and Amersham Hill ward, Wycombe

Bourton Park – Buckingham

Princes Risborough School

Five of these Tiny Forests have been planted in wards identified by the county's Opportunity Bucks programme, a flagship programme to improve opportunities for people in Buckinghamshire. The benefits of creating Tiny Forests in Opportunity Bucks wards (Aylesbury North, Aylesbury South-West, Terriers and Amersham Hill, Booker, Cressex and Castlefield, and now West Wycombe), and collaborating with local schools, supports three of the programmes' key themes; education and youth engagement, health and wellbeing, and quality of public realm. To read more about Opportunity Bucks, visit: www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/opportunity-bucks

For more information on Buckinghamshire Council’s tree planting programme or to find out how to get involved, visit: www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/tree-planting

In 2023 the Council secured over £264k from the Forestry Commission’s Local Authorities Treescape Fund. The fund aims to restore tree cover in non-woodland areas affected by disease, habitat loss or ageing tree stock.

Buckinghamshire Council has successfully bid for over £650,000 of Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF) over 3 rounds of funding, benefitting projects led by:

• 2 charities
• 3 parish councils
• 3 town councils
• 3 environmental groups or organisations
• Buckinghamshire Highways

Community groups and volunteers will use the funds to target neglected landscapes such as ecologically damaged areas or areas affected by tree diseases.

This includes £135,000 in 2023 for Earthwatch to create five further Tiny Forests, including those at Desborough, Booker and Totteridge Recreation Grounds, Walton Court and Cannock Road.

Local Authority Treescapes Fund | Buckinghamshire Council