A series of micro woodlands across Westmorland and Furness will see thousands of native trees planted by Westmorland and Furness Council over the next year.

As part of celebrations to mark the King’s Coronation, Westmorland and Furness Council has been allocated a further £50,000 of funding from the Coronation Living Heritage Fund, a local tree planting initiative supported by Defra. The council also received £50,000 last year from the Fund to support the establishment of community orchards across Westmorland and Furness.

Thanks to this new funding, eight micro woodlands will be created across the area, with two sites in Kendal and Barrow identified to kickstart the planting later this month which will see around 800 native trees and shrubs being planted per site.

Micro woodlands are miniature forests planted in urban areas or on degraded land. This method of tree planting utilises a small urban plot of land that can be densely populated with a variety of native trees and shrubs to create biodiversity-rich woodland habitats. Micro woodlands have good growth and survival rates and provide a wide range of benefits for people, wildlife and ecosystem services.

The council will plant a further six micro woodlands across Westmorland and Furness by March 2025 and are currently exploring potential planting locations.

Councillor Giles Archibald, Cabinet Member for Climate and Biodiversity, said:

“I am delighted that we are able to announce our participation in this initiative which will not only serve as a permanent reminder of His Majesty’s Coronation but see our area substantially gain from thousands of trees and shrubs being planted over the next year.

“Trees are vital to our existence and by creating these new green spaces, we will see a range of benefits both to our natural environment and our local communities; from carbon sequestration, biodiversity enhancement and habitat creation, to improving the health and wellbeing of our residents and communities.

“Planting trees across Westmorland and Furness is an essential part of the council’s journey and ambition to achieve priorities on climate change, support our commitment to plant one tree for every resident, and create a greener, healthier and more resilient Westmorland and Furness for all.”