A CAMPAIGN has been launched to replant the ancient ‘Melksham Forest,’ on the outskirts of Melksham.
The owners of Lacock Alpaca at Oakley Farm House, Jane Gardner-Turrell and David Turrell, have joined forces with their neighbours in a joint initiative that will see 84 acres of land planted with more than 35,000 native trees and 22,000 hedge trees.
The project is already under way at the farm – which is located on Lower Woodrow, near the Melksham Forest area – with the first phase of planting taking place with the help of local volunteers, and students and staff from Wiltshire College & University Centre’s Lackham campus.
The project has also received a boost from The Woodland Trust who have agreed to cover the cost of the plants, praising the project for its ambition.
The couple explain, “Forest, an area near the farm, used to be, as its name suggests, an ancient forest. It was once King John’s hunting grounds and we want to see if we can replicate at least some of it on our tree planting site.
“We believe there are some small pockets of ancient woodland left and it would be marvellous if we could germinate from some of those ancient trees and replant them across the original forest area.
“We are interested in collecting seeds from some of these and regenerating them and we are in the planning stage of the project, with help from The Woodland Trust.
“We are working with students and staff from Wiltshire College & University Centre Lackham on the tree planting project, as well as on a variety of sustainability projects.
“Care for the environment is something that we are very committed to – it’s in our core values and everything we are doing in terms of our approach to working with the land.
“One of the best weapons we have in the fight against climate change are trees and hedges that capture and store CO2 as they grow. Their contribution to nature and biodiversity is also recognised by government in new environmental land management payments for sustainable farming, set to replace the EU area payment scheme.”
Staff and students at Wiltshire College & University Centre’s Lackham campus were keen to get involved as the project will also aid the studies of students on countryside management courses. Their involvement has allowed students to complete comprehensive soil analysis and they have helped to plant more than 500 hedgerow plants so far.
College staff have also been getting their hands dirty, with its business development team visiting the farm to help out as part of a team building exercise during a staff development day in February.
The first phase of tree and hedge planting is scheduled to end by 14th April, and Jane and David are appealing for volunteers to help.
“We can only do this with volunteers,” said Jane. “We need about 20 volunteers for each planting session.”
For more information, contact the couple via their website: www.lacockalpaca.com
