News

A new service, developed by experts at The University of Manchester and The Mersey Forest, will provide vital information to help urban neighbourhoods avoid the potentially dangerous effects of climate change.

The unique STAR tools, launched this month online, will allow planners, policy makers, local people and developers to assess if new buildings and roads will make neighbourhoods intolerably hot or more likely to suffer from flooding.

They will also give cities the ability to assess how green infrastructure – such as trees, vegetation, waterways and lakes - can help neighbourhoods adapt to climate change by cooling surface temperatures and reducing runoff.
 

Thanks to all our new followers over the past week on Twitter who've now helped us reach the 400-follower milestone.
 

If you'd like to be part of it, follow @merseyforest or visit www.twitter.com/merseyforest.

We tweet the latest local woodland and tree news, as well as interesting green stories and links from further afield.

The Mersey Forest would like to congratulate the pupils at Glazebury Primary School for their hard work.

A parent and helper at Glazebury Primary School in Warrington contacted us last year to ask for a tree for a memorial garden in the school. It only took one site visit from The Mersey Forest Team for the whole school to gear themselves up for creating an orchard, hedge laying and planting the memorial tree, with the help of The Big Tree Plant.

Pupils from the school, including the infants, planted nine apple trees donated by and with help from the Cheshire Landscape Trust, along with approximately 60m of hedgerow with dogwood, hawthorn and blackthorn; a standard oak tree to complement the existing trees on the edge of the school field, and a copper beech tree in the memorial garden.

The enthusiastic children worked tirelessly, and didn't mind the rain or the mud! The sun came out later, and shone down on their newly planted trees.

For further information on The Big Tree Plant, visit their official website or contact us.

Know anyone who campaigns actively to protect their local green spaces, or who aids conservation in any way? Then they could be a candidate for the next Octavia Hill!

The National Trust is currently holding the Octavia Hill awards, where people who make a change for their environment are rewarded for their hard work.

Nominations are now open: That one person whom inspired you (teacher, ranger, guide...) can get a well deserved thank you! There are 6 categories, so you could nominate more than one person.

If you would like to nominate anyone you know, you can send your application form until the 31st January. More information, as well as the application forms can be found by visiting the National Trust's official website.

A four-year tree planting drive to create a greener, healthier Warrington has been launched. Local residents and members of Grappenhall and Thelwall Parish Council dug in at a rain-drenched planting morning at the recently revamped Euclid Park to kick off Warrington's part in The Big Tree Plant, the national campaign to get more people planting and caring for trees.

Locally the campaign has set aside £255,000 over the next four years to support tree planting and get people involved in their environment across North Cheshire and Merseyside. The funding for the local area was secured by The Mersey Forest who will use the cash to help community groups and schools to brighten their neighbourhoods with new street trees, woodlands and mini-orchards – starting with hundreds of trees to be planted across Warrington this winter.

Warrington South MP David Mowat took part in the tree planting and said: "The benefits of creating a well-wooded landscape are there for all to see – from providing places to relax and stay fit and healthy, to providing habitat for wildlife, to helping fight climate change. It's excellent to see this new campaign continuing the greening of Warrington's landscape that's already been achieved as part of The Mersey Forest."

He was joined by the Mayor of Warrington, Cllr Mike Biggin, who is Warrington's member for The Mersey Forest and has been involved in the Euclid Park project from the start. He said: "Across the country The Big Tree Plant is aiming to help people plant 1 million trees by 2015. It's great to be part of launching Warrington's contribution, and what better place to do so than at Euclid Park, one of the town's most recent green success stories."