Over 800 native tree saplings are now being planted at the Crabtree and Dickens Lane plantations in Old Basing as part of a woodland restoration project by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

Cabinet Member for Climate and Ecological Emergency Cllr Chris Tomblin (pictured) joined the council’s rangers, volunteers, the Black Dam and Crabtree Conservation Group and Natural Basingstoke on Thursday (5 March) to help plant the first batch of trees.

English oak, common beech, elm and hazel are among the native species that are currently being put in the ground in the woodlands near the Bolton Arch.

To give the new saplings a better chance of survival, they are being planted now, in the colder and wetter weather, rather than in the warmer summer months.

They will also be helped by the extra light that is reaching the forest floor, after work started in January to take out non-native trees, dead and dying ash affected by dieback and around 30% of the sycamores in the area.

As the new trees grow, they will support a greater diversity of wildlife than the sycamores that have been removed. Their canopies will also create the partly shaded areas that rare wildflowers like the white helleborine depend on.

Cllr Chris Tomblin said: “Volunteering outdoors is a great way to support nature, meet new people and make a real difference locally, so I really enjoyed getting out with our rangers, local volunteers and Natural Basingstoke to help kickstart the planting of hundreds of new saplings at the Crabtree and Dickens Lane plantations.

“As they grow, these young trees will help clean our air by absorbing carbon, support nature recovery – as they provide shelter and food for native species – and help to keep this woodland a welcoming and special place for the local community to enjoy too.”

Several trunks and logs left over from the recent felling are being used to mark out pathways through the woodlands near the Bolton Arch. They will help to guide people to take certain routes, away from sensitive and fragile habitats.

This nature improvement project is being funded by the council using money secured under a legal agreement with the developer of the housing site next to The Spinney on Aldermaston Road, near Basingstoke.

More information about the Crabtree and Dickens Lane nature improvement project is at www.basingstoke.gov.uk/crabtree-plantation-woodland-project

Volunteering opportunities with local nature groups can be found at www.basingstoke.gov.uk/conservation-groups