Work begins on new Devon rainforest

Work begins on new Devon rainforest - Devon Wildlife Trust

The first trees have been planted by local volunteers at Devon Wildlife Trust’s Bowden Pillars site, near Totnes
Local people help charity plant 7,000 native species trees
Project is creating lost temperate rainforest habitat with help from insurance giant Aviva

A field of newly planted trees and people stood amongst them — Trust volunteers plant the first trees at Bowden Pillars, Totnes. Photo credit: S Hussey

The first steps towards creating a new temperate rainforest in Devon have been completed thanks to the hard work of local volunteers.

This winter has seen 2,500 native trees planted so far at Devon Wildlife Trust’s Bowden Pillars site, close to the South Devon market town of Totnes. More than a 100 local people of all ages have devoted hundreds of hours to planting species include oak, rowan, alder, hazel, birch, willow and holly. Together they are helping to transform 30 hectares (75 acres) of what were sheep grazed fields into a landscape which will eventually have 70% tree cover, with the rest becoming open glades, woodland rides and wildflower rich meadows.

The charity plans to plant a further 4,500 trees by the end of this winter bringing the grand total to 7,000, with more to follow in subsequent years.

In decades to come these new trees will form a temperate rainforest – sometimes also known as an Atlantic or Celtic rainforest – a landscape which was once characteristic of areas of Britain with high rainfall and humidity. These rainforests covered large parts of Britain, especially its western regions, but after many centuries of destruction today they amount to just 1% of its land area.

As well as being vital carbon stores, temperate rainforests support a super-abundance of wildlife, including birds such as the pied flycatchers, woodcock and redstarts, while their damp conditions mean mosses, liverworts, lichens, ferns and fungi thrive on the trees as well as the forest floor.