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Shrewsbury
SY3 8HQ
 
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Community Woodlands

Several sites around the town area have been planted with trees and shrubs as Community Woodlands over the last few years, enhancing and improving the existing and occasionally new open space in and around Shrewsbury. They are planted now and provide new wildlife habitat where there was little before, and places for enjoyable, informal recreation for the people that live nearby.
 
The simple aim has been: "To develop community woodlands which will create a better environment for people to use, cherish and enjoy." Obviously this does not mean just planting trees, we've all seen the evidence of lollipop trees appearing somewhere, dying and getting vandalised. It means the planting of new woodland, copses, hedges and occasionally individual trees by local families, schools and other groups because they want to help make a difference to their environment. This has lead to the starting of a new National Forest network with major plans around some of Britain's cities. But plans don't have to be that grand. Closer to home, Community Woodlands can have all of these benefits in a local way around Shrewsbury.
 
Planting at Underdale
 
There are ten sites where planting has been completed. Hopefully other possible areas will be identified:
  • Harlescott CW, beside Little Harlescott Lane
  • Lythwood CW near Lythwood Hall, from Recreation Ground, Bayston Hill 
  • Meole Brace CW, behind Moneybrook Way, Meole
  • Monkmoor CW, between Coseley Avenue and Fearn Drive
  • Mousecroft CW, Mousecroft Lane, off Longden Road.
  • Pimley CW, below Sundorne Recreation Ground.
  • Underdale CW, beside Robertson Way, via Oswell Road.
  • Coton Hill CW, Corporation Lane, Coton
  • Greenfields CW, Greenfields playing field (part)
  • Copthorne CW, Shelton Rd field (part)
The ten woodlands have a combined total area of 22 hectares (54 acres) - a large area and approx 20,000 trees and shrubs!
 
To celebrate the advent of the new Millennium the Meole Brace Community Woodland, to the rear of Moneybrook Way, is a special partnership project in conjunction with the Shropshire group of the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens. In the late winter of 1999 a willow coppice was planted over about one acre of the field on the south eastern bank of the Rea Brook. The planting consists of about 20 different willow species and hybrids which are native to Shropshire.
 
All other areas are being planted with mixed native broad-leaved trees and shrubs. These are primarily oak and ash, but with smaller numbers of: alder, aspen, blackthorn, crab apple, elder, field maple, goat willow, guelder rose, hawthorn, hazel, holly, silver birch, small-leaved lime, and wild cherry. We are also planting very occasional native black poplar and yew trees. All of these trees and shrubs are native to this part of Shropshire. These are all planted as small 2ft transplants to make planting them easy and these also have the best chance of successful establishment. The intention is to recreate the type of mixed broad-leaved woodland which would have existed before it was cleared by early farming settlers in Britain, probably a few thousand years ago.

Tree and shrub Species Information

All areas are planted with mixed native broad-leaved trees and shrubs. All species are native to Shropshire. This may not include some common tree species which are native to some parts of Britain, but they are not native here. We are planting:
 
Main matrix of (2 species):
  • ash
  • oak
Infilled with smaller numbers of (14 species):
  • alder
  • field maple
  • holly
  • aspen
  • goat willow
  • silver birch
  • blackthorn
  • guelder rose
  • small-leaved lime
  • crab apple
  • hawthorn
  • wild cherry
  • elder
  • and hazel.
We are also planting occasional (12 species):
  • alder buckthorn
  • dog rose
  • privet
  • black poplar (native)
  • dogwood
  • spindle
  • broom
  • field rose
  • wild service tree
  • buckthorn
  • gorse
  • yew.
We are also planting very occasional
  • native black poplar
  • yew
30 species in total
 
They are planted at approx. 1100 plants per hectare which is a 3 metre spacing.