The first steps towards creating a new temperate rainforest in Devon have been completed thanks to the hard work of local volunteers.
This winter has seen 2,500 native trees planted so far at Devon Wildlife Trust’s Bowden Pillars site, close to the South Devon market town of Totnes. More than a 100 local people of all ages have devoted hundreds of hours to planting species include oak, rowan, alder, hazel, birch, willow and holly. Together they are helping to transform 30 hectares (75 acres) of what were sheep grazed fields into a landscape which will eventually have 70% tree cover, with the rest becoming open glades, woodland rides and wildflower rich meadows.
The charity plans to plant a further 4,500 trees by the end of this winter bringing the grand total to 7,000, with more to follow in subsequent years.
In decades to come these new trees will form a temperate rainforest – sometimes also known as an Atlantic or Celtic rainforest – a landscape which was once characteristic of areas of Britain with high rainfall and humidity. These rainforests covered large parts of Britain, especially its western regions, but after many centuries of destruction today they amount to just 1% of its land area.
As well as being vital carbon stores, temperate rainforests support a super-abundance of wildlife, including birds such as the pied flycatchers, woodcock and redstarts, while their damp conditions mean mosses, liverworts, lichens, ferns and fungi thrive on the trees as well as the forest floor.
Claire Inglis is a Nature Reserve Officer at Devon Wildlife Trust and is leading the Bowden Pillars planting project for the charity. Claire said:
“It’s been a winter in which we’ve battled storms and snow to plant more than 2,500 trees and begin the transformation of Bowden Pillars to a place which offers a home to nature and is vital resource for local communities.
Crucial in this transformation have been local people who have worked so hard in all conditions to get the trees in the ground. We’ve had youth groups visit to help us, along with people from local communities and our loyal band of south Devon volunteers.
The mature temperate rainforest will take several decades to become established, but the gains for nature will be much swifter. The mix of young trees in amongst grass pastures and hedges, along with our commitment not to use pesticides and artificial fertilisers, will be better for local moths, butterflies and bees, along with farmland birds such as yellowhammers and barn owls. It will be fascinating to see how it develops.”
The planting project at Bowden Pillars is part of a long-term nationwide rainforest restoration effort by The Wildlife Trusts in partnership with insurance giant Aviva. Similar planting projects are taking place in Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Pembrokeshire, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
