Almost 10 million trees have been established in The Mersey Forest since 1991
Why
Enrich people’s lives and livelihoods
Ensure that all aspects of what we do try to balance the benefits for people with those for nature and climate, delivering on all three where possible.
Benefits of trees, woods, and other habitats for people’s lives include improved mental, physical, social, and spiritual health and well-being. This comes through better access to natural spaces providing opportunities to realise the five steps to wellbeing (connect, get active, take notice, learn, and give) as well as the five pathways to nature connectedness (senses, emotion, beauty, meaning, and compassion). Greener neighbourhoods can also improve air quality, regulate noise and provide natural sounds, reduce heat stress, and provide greener active travel routes.
Benefits for livelihoods include supporting farming and food security, with trees on farms sustaining healthy soils and livestock, water and flood management, increased carbon storage, wildlife, and income diversification. Other livelihood benefits include timber security, wood products and materials for artisans and makers, construction and industry; and green settings for housing, tourism, business, and investment; with the sector contributing to a circular economy, developing skills and creating employment.
Prioritise what we do in areas of greatest need for people, using the latest evidence and mapping. Focus on areas of inequality in tree provision, and mental and physical health and well-being, as well as air quality and noise regulation.
Help nature flourish
Ensure that all aspects of what we do try to balance the benefits for nature with those for people and climate, delivering on all three where possible.
Benefits of trees, woods, and other habitats for nature include boosting biodiversity and species abundance, improving habitat connectivity to allow species to move, especially as the climate changes, and allowing people to reconnect with, respect, and give back to nature.
Prioritise what we do in areas of greatest need for nature, using the latest evidence and mapping. This includes Local Nature Recovery Strategy mapping.
Particularly important aspects for nature of what we do include: buffering and improving the care of ancient and long-established woods, and veteran trees; better connecting existing woods through new woodland and hedgerow establishment; establishment of native, wet and riparian woods, and within steeper cloughs, as well as scrub, edge, and open habitats; establishment and management of hedgerows and hedgerow trees; and supporting priority species including red squirrel, willow tit, and black poplar.
It is critical to improve the ecological condition of new and existing woodlands through best practice design and proactive management. Approaches include thinning, coppicing, re-stocking, increasing species and age diversity, creation of open space, rides and edge habitats, retention of deadwood, invasive species control, and recreational pressure management.
Strengthen climate resilience
Ensure that all aspects of what we do try to balance the benefits for climate with those for people and nature, delivering on all three where possible.
Benefits of trees, woods, and other habitats for climate include carbon sequestration and storage by trees, soils, and harvested wood products, helping to offset any residual greenhouse gas emissions and meet net zero targets. Timber and wood products and fuels can also replace other materials with higher embedded energy. Local recreation and green travel routes reduce the need to travel by car, with its associated emissions.
Trees, woods, and other habitats also help us to adapt to climate change impacts such as flooding and extreme heat. As part of natural flood management and sustainable drainage systems, they slow flows, stabilise soils, and improve water quality, through wet, riparian and upstream woodland, leaky dams, and tree and hedgerow barriers. Urban trees help manage heatwaves, reducing heat stress and mortality and the need for air conditioning. Improved habitat connectivity aids species movement in a changing climate.
Prioritise what we do in areas of greatest need for climate, using the latest evidence and mapping. Focus on areas for urban cooling and natural flood management.
