We are delighted to announce a new name for our site near Sandridge, where we plan to create England’s largest new native forest.
The chosen name, the result of a suggestion scheme involving all our staff, is HEARTWOOD FOREST.
We felt this name was very appropriate for the new forest because:
- Heart playfully combines ‘Hert’, for the location in Hertfordshire, and ‘Hart’ an old English word for a deer stag – the symbol of Hertfordshire.
- Heartwood is a central hardwood core found in many broadleaved trees. As the tree ages, it is this hollowing heartwood which often supports hundreds of rare and threatened species of wildlife, and helps it to survive for many years by recycling nutrients as it decays.
- The heart is a life-giving organ and trees are the life force of this planet. This new forest will be a much needed lifeline for the UK’s diminished native woodland. It will also be a great outdoor space in which people can experience all the benefits of exercise and getting closer to nature.
- We hope the new forest will be a green heart at the centre of our woodland creation work - a thriving new habitat for wildlife and a destination for everyone to enjoy.
Although we have now acquired the land on which to create Heartwood Forest, we still need funds to plant it.