Does the Woodland Trust plant trees in urban areas?
We already own a significant number of woods in urban areas. For example our woods in Warrington and Runcorn, which were gifted to us by the former Development Corporation. In Scotland we were given a number of woods in the new towns of Glenrothes and Livingston.
There is certainly a need to plant more woodland in urban areas where bare land is available. The problems we experience in finding suitable sites include the high price of land in such areas and also the fact that many former industrial sites are contaminated.
Our Woods on your Doorstep Project created 250 new woods for the benefit of local communities very close to urban areas. We have produced a series of Urban Woodland Management Guides, from our Publications page, for local authorities & others who manage urban sites to help promote best practice.
We have also produced the Woodland Access Standard to guide policy makers.
Greening the concrete jungle
Why we need more trees and woods in urban areas