A30 Services to get its own tiny forest in National Highways first

National Highways is teaming up with environmental charity Earthwatch Europe to create a Tiny Forest at the A30 Sourton Cross services in Devon.

The initiative, to create a miniature, fast growing native woodland, will not only improve biodiversity at the site but also provide an improved customer experience for all drivers stopping off at the service area.

Funded through its designated Innovation and Research funding, the project represents a first such partnership for National Highways, who will be trialling a new technique to create a layered and densely planted woodland area alongside the A30, creating a vibrant habitat for butterflies, birds and bees.

Following the Japanese Miyawaki planting method, community volunteers from the Okehampton area answered the call to assist Earthwatch in building the forest in miniature over recent weeks.

Among the tree species, oak, hornbeam, birch, hawthorn, crab apple, field maple and hazel and shrub such as broom and guelder rose – all known to thrive in the Devon area – have been planted on a 200-metre square plot at the services site.

A total of 375 trees were sourced by Earthwatch as part of the Community Trees Programme, a partnership between National Highways, The Tree Council and Greenwood Plants, which donates trees to communities across the country.

Tiny forests store carbon in trees, mitigate flooding and heat stress, attract wildlife and improve air quality, and the Sourton plot will ultimately provide screening from the A30 and an accessible green space for people to connect with nature.

Since 2020, environmental group Earthwatch has planted over 300 tiny forests across the country, and, as with other projects, development of the Sourton woodland will be monitored.

Ben Hewlett, Senior Environmental Advisor at National Highways, said: “Our work goes beyond operating, maintaining and improving roads and through our designated funds, we’re investing in the environment and communities surrounding our network, as well as the people travelling and working on it, adding real value to society.

“It’s a first for us, and we’re delighted to be working with Earthwatch on this initiative, which will see us trialling a new technique to aid the establishment of trees and mitigate any losses.

“Tree planting and green spaces are a key part of our environmental commitment, we’re working to plant hundreds of thousands of trees by 2030 and as part of that initiative, the Sourton project will bring significant benefits in terms of biodiversity and a wildlife focus for local communities. It will also enhance the experience for all visitors using our well-used service area.”

Grace Gale, Project Manager at Earthwatch Europe, said: “This project provides rich opportunities for connecting communities with the environment and sustainability, and we’re thrilled to be working with National Highways to bring it to Sourton.

“It’s vital that we give people the knowledge and skills to protect our natural world and inspire them to take positive action from a young age.”

National Highways manages four designated funds to deliver benefits above and beyond building, maintaining and operating England’s strategic roads.

The aim is to make a positive difference to people’s lives by protecting the environment and enhancing the landscape around roads, improving safety, reducing congestion, and supporting communities and assisting innovation and research.

Elsewhere in the South West, National Highways’ designated funding has also helped to:

·       restore and recreate 16.8 hectares of woodland, orchard, grassland and heathland, and tree planting across the mid-Cornwall landscape;

·       improve water quality and biodiversity at Stover Country Park near the A38 in Devon

·       enable grassland and wildflower initiatives along the A303 and M4 in Wiltshire, the A46 near Bath and the A35 in Dorset;

·       provide a suite of wildflower and grasslands projects alongside the strategic road network in the Cotswolds.

To find out more about the company’s Designated Funds programme go to the company's web page.

Further information on the Community Trees programme can be found on the National Highways website, and to find out more about the work of Earthwatch Europe people can log on to www.earthwatch.org.uk