Harworth completes planting of more than 108,000 trees at Chevington North, in Northumberland

Harworth Group, in collaboration with the Forestry Commission, has planted 108,000 trees at its 65-hectare Chevington North site.

Chevington North is now home to an even split of native and evergreen trees, with the project also delivering habitat creation adjacent to the existing stream on the site and public access via an extensive network of permissive footpaths.

Harworth secured grants from the Forestry Commission’s Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG) and England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) to support the delivery of the project.

Harworth also ran a programme of community planting initiatives, facilitated by Kids Plant Trees, involving the participation of three local primary schools, various community groups and local families.

Peter Henry, director of sustainability at Harworth Group commented: “The significance of this tree planting effort extends far beyond its scale, and contributes to environmental sustainability by capturing carbon dioxide, supporting biodiversity and creating habitats for wildlife.

“By engaging with local schools and groups, we hope we have also helped to foster environmental awareness among the younger generations, whilst providing new woodland which enhances the natural beauty of the area.”

Andrea Baggio Compagnucci, woodland creation officer at Forestry Commission, added: “The project will add a significant area of mixed forestry into a poorly afforested landscape.

“The Forestry Commission grant will not only support the improvement of land, the riparian buffer along the Sandy Burn, increased levels of biodiversity and respect the existing archaeological features but will now also offer 30 years of open access to support recreational activities for local communities.”

The project has been delivered in partnership with Savills.