Walsall is to create nine “tiny forests” across the borough as part of a legacy scheme for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, writes Jayne Howarth.
As Birmingham 2022’s Official Nature & Carbon Neutral Supporter, Severn Trent is delivering a series of initiatives to ensure the games can become the first carbon-neutral Commonwealth games and leave a legacy across the region.
This includes the creation of 2022 acres of legacy forests, as well as 72 tennis-court-sized Tiny Forests, which will be built in urban areas across the West Midlands.
Nine sites have been identified in Walsall. Each Tiny Forest will see 600 native trees, planted densely in each tennis court size plot of land and will be linked to one of the nations and territories competing at the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
They will provide a publicly accessible place for people to relax, enjoy and appreciate nature in urban areas, as well as support health and wellbeing.
Councillor Oliver Butler, Portfolio Holder for Clean & Green Services, said: “Tiny Forests increase and improve nature in our borough and are going to be a real asset to Walsall and the wider West Midlands.
“Here in Walsall the work will connect us with nature and wildlife. It all starts with education so it’s great to see local schools and our communities getting behind the project, by planting and caring for tomorrow’s Tiny Forests, which I know will bring so much life, greenery and beauty to our borough.”
As part of the Tiny Forest scheme, local communities will be invited to help Earthwatch Europe collect data and assess the benefits of the Tiny Forest in their area, including carbon absorption, flood management and the benefit on biodiversity, and community wellbeing as the sites develop.
Severn Trent and Earthwatch Europe will also provide training and resources for the schools to help use the Tiny Forest as an inspiring outdoor classroom, with hands-on workshops allowing children to learn first-hand about nature and the environment.
Councillor Gary Flint, who represents Bloxwich East with Councillors Corin Statham and Mark Statham , is a volunteer co-ordinator for the project in Bloxwich, where land on Ashbourne Road, Lower Farm, has been earmarked for the tree-planting.
He said: “There’s already a community orchard there, which was set up by the former Bloxwich Town Partnership, and is leased to Goscote Greenacres, so the Tiny Forest will be another community space that will bring lots of benefits.
“We’re just launching a new volunteer group in Bloxwich that brings together a number of community groups so we’ll be working together on this. After the trees are planted, the volunteers will look after them and we’ll also be working with Lower Farm Primary School so the children can learn about the importance of trees and nature.
“We’re pleased to be part of the Tiny Forest project as it will have a positive impact on the community.”
Sites identified by Healthy Spaces and Clean and Green include: Willenhall Memorial Park; Swannies Field, Harden; Kings Hill Park, Darlaston; Cooks Street, Darlaston; Borneo Street, The Butts; Barr Beacon; Ashbourne Road, Lower Farm; and Walsall Arboretum.
Each forest is expected to engage up to 100 volunteers on planting day, up to 40 people on monitoring days, up to six volunteers working as a “keeper team” to act as the forest ambassadors and support with maintenance, as well as the wider community, visitors and school children as an inspiring place to enjoy nature.
Liv Garfield, CEO of Severn Trent said: “The threats of climate change and biodiversity loss are huge challenges for our society and what’s really exciting about the Tiny Forests and our Commonwealth legacy forests is that these new green spaces across the West Midlands will live on long past the games for future generations to enjoy as a space where biodiversity and nature can thrive and flourish.”
Earthwatch will support and fund the installation of the Tiny Forests in Walsall, which is expected to start in early 2022.
Tim Cleary, Parks and Countryside Operations Manager at Walsall Council, added: “We are really excited about this opportunity and that we have been able to find so many suitable sites across the Walsall area, this will bring new green spaces into our communities and help to enhance some existing sites too.
“The benefits of this collaboration with Severn Trent and the Commonwealth Games will leave a lasting legacy for these communities and will bring a new lease of life to the groups and volunteers that are already very active in trying to make a difference.”