Woods replanted after being ‘hollowed out’
WORK has started to plant thousands of saplings after the controversial felling of trees at a popular Sutton Coldfield woods
Corsican pines were harvested at Manorial Wood, also known as Dead Man’s Wood, off Worcester Lane, last November, sparking anger from locals.
Neighbours and councillors criticised landowner Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust (SCCT) for a lack of meaningful consultation and “hollowing out” the woods.
But the Trust claimed it had always planned to harvest the woods for profit and that it was a necessity, as the trees would deteriorate and were already creating a fire hazard.
Now SCCT has started replanting the site with English deciduous broadleaved trees as part of its plan to create a new wooded area for ‘generations to come’.
Trust chief executive, Tina
Swani, and vice-chairman, Keith Dudley, were joined by fellow trustee, Cllr Jane Mosson and youngsters from nearby Little Sutton Primary School to get the re-planting under way.
The Trust said the entire site will be restocked with 4,500 trees of both UK-grown hardwoods and a mix of conifers to aid the establishment of the crop.
It said the next phase of planting will now take place in May, ahead of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations, with a central feature yew tree to be planted. A further phase of planting will also take place in the autumn again with the help of local schools.
Ms Swani, said: “It’s hugely rewarding to see our long-held plans come to fruition at Manorial Wood, which will support a greater mix of woodland plants and wildlife. The previous Corsican pine trees were in dire need of harvesting and replanting, due to the stock reaching its potential, lack of undergrowth and ongoing fire risk.”