Welcome to Great Avon Wood: Our biggest project to date!

Great Avon Wood

Forest of Avon and Avon Needs Trees have announced our most ambitious project yet! Our two charities have worked together to jointly own over 100 acres of land near the village of Pensford. This project truly stamps Forest of Avon’s mark on the region and accelerates the charities' ambitious goal to double tree cover by 2050. Over the next three years, volunteers will help to plant and care for 40,000 trees supplied by the Woodland Trust as part of the Emergency Tree Fund.

Great Avon Wood was recently featured in The Guardian with a wonderful selection of photographs and words from Alex Turner (@alexcarlturner), who joined for a day of volunteer tree planting in February. Take a look at the article here: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2023/apr/18/dig-in-how-to-build-a-forest-from-scratch-in-picture

About the Woodland

Great Avon Wood sits at the heart of two landscapes that are regionally important for nature’s recovery: the Limestone-Link and the southern border of the Dundry Downs. It will consist of three linked woodland sites and will create a mixed landscape including new woodland creation, natural regenerating woodland and open grassland.

As these green corridors continue to grow, Great Avon Wood will create essential habitat to local wildlife such as Chiff Chaffs, Barn Owls, Kites, and Kestrels, whilst the plan includes the care for the existing species rich grassland, which for butterflies and wildflowers to thrive. Also, from the 30 native tree species planned to be planted, Hazel, Hawthorn and Pedunculate Oak (to name a few), will be an important food resource for birds and mammals.

The new woodland will play an important role in the local area to reduce flood risk through natural flood management. This area has become prone to flooding due to an increase in extreme weather. Trees provide greater interception of rainfall, alongside root systems ultimately reducing the flow. As the new trees grow, they will help slow the rate that rainfall runs off the land into the River Chew, with long term benefits for local villages and towns.

A note from our Director Alex Stone:

“The Forest of Avon community has its first new woodland 'base' and over 100 acres of wonderful habitat which we hope will give thousands in the region the chance to enjoy it in years to come, whether through helping to plant, enjoying wellbeing activity, walks, talks or keeping up to date remotely.

It is even more exciting to launch this project, a first of its kind, together with Avon Needs Trees: two charities working together on a large-scale project to continue our truly collaborative, solution-focused, and positive approach across the region. This type of project is vital because finding land is the biggest challenge to doubling tree cover across the region, which we aim to achieve by 2050 to meet the Forest of Avon Plan target. Owning the land together gives the new woodland permanence as well as an opportunity to share skills and best practice more widely.”

Get involved

We need everyone's’ help to get those spades in the ground and help with the first phase of planting! People can sign up at Avon Needs Trees’ website Volunteering - Avon Needs Trees. 

To donate to sustain Great Avon Wood - get in touch with Alex, Director at alex.stone@forestofavontrust.org

Organise a corporate volunteering day through our partner Avon Needs Trees here.

Big Thank You

Funding for the land purchase has been provided through DEFRA’s Trees for Climate Programme. Funding to deliver the woodland creation has also been provided by the The West of England Combined Authority and The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Woodland Trust, who are supplying all 40,000 trees. We would also like to thank the amazing volunteers who are giving their time to make Great Avon Wood a reality.