Now in its third year, the Forest of the Future project at Forrest Hills is thriving. The project was first proposed in 2017 by a group of students supported by Dr Andrew Jarvis and the partnership with the LEC 380 module continues to date. The project is a great example of a Green Lancaster collaboration between University Facilities and the Students’ Union to engage staff, students and the local community in practical solutions to environmental challenges.

This year, over 160 students, staff and alumni attended nine practical planting sessions to plant native deciduous trees, including aspen, alder, birch, cherry, field maple, oak, quickthorn, rowan and willow. Forest of the Future is an invaluable conservation project to restore the local landscape, sequester carbon from the atmosphere and protect against flooding in Quernmore Valley. The planting sessions are also a perfect opportunity to focus on well-being and take rewarding time out in nature.

This year, the project kicked off in Michaelmas term, with students and staff joining to plant 650 trees, 1500 garlic bulbs and 500 bluebell bulbs to create a native woodland wildflower undergrowth. During Green Lancaster Week, three sessions took place, including an exclusive session for Lancaster alumni as a thank you for the Friends Funding to make the invaluable project possible. This year, a new partnership took place with module LEC 316 Water Resource Management in Istrian Landscapes to offset travel emissions associated with the Field Trip aspect of the module.

Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic cutting short the planned sessions, the team worked to plant almost 2000 native deciduous trees from January to March. The remaining trees, which were unable to be planted have been left in a nursery bed at Forrest Hills to survive the dry summer weather and will be planted by volunteers in November 2020.

Millie Prosser, Forest of the Future coordinator said: “I’ve loved working on the Forest of the Future project, I feel it plays an important role in connecting people with the landscape. When you spend time outside getting muddy, actually getting trees in the ground it makes you feel differently, it makes ecology and sustainability more accessible. Encouraging people to connect the dots between landscape restoration and tree cover, highlighting the difference between a rye grass monoculture and a native deciduous woodland - not only in terms of biodiversity, but also ecosystem services, such as flood mitigation via water retention and reduced erosion.”

If you would like to volunteer with the project next year, make sure to follow Green Lancaster social media channels and sign up to the newsletter for opportunities to get involved.