Stretching from the sandy dunes of Sefton in the north, down across the Cheshire Plain to the canals and woodlands of Northwich in the south, The Mersey Forest is the biggest of the UK's 12 Community Forests.
In all it covers 465 square miles (1204 km2) – larger than the area of 160,000 football pitches (or almost four times the size of Malta!) – and is part of a 30-year plan to transform the landscape across Merseyside and North Cheshire.
The regeneration of The Mersey Forest is being achieved thanks to a partnership comprising of nine local authorities, the Forestry Commission, Natural England, United Utilities, The Mersey Forest Team and a host of other organisations and individuals who share the vision for creating the Forest.
Since it was established in 1994 over 3,750 hectares of new habitat have been created, and around 10 million new trees planted.
The Forest now provides the four million people who live within 20 km of its boundaries with a place to explore, a place to enjoy, and a place to relax.
It is helping to improve health, reduce pollution and turn derelict land into new green spaces, providing the green infrastructure for our area and stimulating the local economy by boosting tourism and creating jobs.
The seed
At only 8%, England has one of the lowest levels of mature woodland cover in all of western Europe, and across The Mersey Forest, tree cover was only 4% in 1994. The Mersey Forest is seen as a way not just to increase woodland cover but also to bring all the benefits of trees to millions of people.
Set up in 1990, Community Forests are an experiment in how forestry can get closer to people and deliver benefits above and beyond just timber. Our ultimate aim is to deliver environmental improvements, while at the same time improving the quality of life for those people who work and live near to them.
Key to this is that the new Forests are sustainable and, since their inception, community forestry has become a perfect example of how sustainability should work, by balancing the needs of people, the environment and the economy.
Then again, what could be more sustainable than a well-managed forest? It naturally improves with age – the older it gets the more productive it becomes, providing more habitats for wildlife, and more interesting places for us to explore.
The fruits
The Mersey Forest is not a single place. We are creating the Forest across a wide area – not a single area densely covered by trees but rather a mixture of woods, ponds, streams, heath and farmland, between and within our cities, towns and villages.
This new, multi-purpose forest is being created from distinctly modern surroundings, ranging from the heart of urban areas, to agricultural landscapes where natural variety has been ploughed away.
As such, it has a key role in helping to deliver national biodiversity targets - after all, a single tree can be home to as many as 300 different types of insect, whilst woods create ‘green corridors' across the UK, helping many rare species to survive.
So far, over 2,900 hectares of new woodland and 800 hectares of wildflower meadow, wetlands and other habitats have been created, over 90km of hedgerow have been repaired or planted and more than 110 ponds established - all helping to restore the natural diversity of our wildlife.
150 new jobs have also been created as a consequence of this work and £36 million of new investment attracted.
And people are benefiting; with new cycleways and footpaths opening up new areas of The Forest all the time, it gives everyone the opportunity to enjoy a healthier way of life.
The roots
Creating The Mersey Forest can only happen with the help and support of many different partners and their involvement in a huge variety of projects.
Over time, new projects develop and are delivered, funding regimes come and go and interest in environmental issues ebbs and flows. The Mersey Forest remains a project that delivers now but has an eye on the long term; it will remain relevant as projects and funding fashions change.
The roots of The Mersey Forest are set in a belief that by working in partnership to create The Forest we can truly hand down to our children an environment that is better than the one we inherited. We are perhaps the first generation who can claim to have achieved this.
It will take 30 years to create The Mersey Forest. The really exciting time will come once we have achieved our aim and are able to enjoy all the benefits from a well-used Community Forest.
Our focus is on delivering Community Forest benefits to all sectors of our society, both for the present and for the future.
Click 'play' below to see just one example of the Forest in action: