In autumn 2024, the Lancashire County Council (LCC) Treescapes Team reached out to us to see if we would be interested in working with them to plant a Japanese Micro-wood. Of course, we said yes and got to work finding the best home for it.
Our Environmental Services team worked with LCC and decided the land at Dovedale Park in Ingol would be perfect, and planning started.
What is a Japanese Micro-wood?
A micro-wood, also known as a Miyawaki forest, is a small area that has been dug and planted with lots of different elements making up a forest, including:
- Rich soil
- Native fungi
- Shrub plants
- Different sized trees
Micro-woods also grow faster than traditionally planted forests. This means they can provide shelter and food to wildlife faster. They also absorb air pollution and lock away carbon quicker, which helps reduce the impacts of climate change.
The outcome of the project
The day finally came at the start of March 2025 and the work began. We spread the word, asking for local tenants to come and lend a hand, alongside our Engagement and Communities team, LCC, students from UCLan and Lancashire Adult Learning and Friends of Haslam Park.
On the day, we planted over 800 trees and in the coming weeks everything should start to take root and grow.
A fence has been built around the site for now to help keep it safe. If you are in the area, feel free to stop by and see the progress!
Our lovely tenant David has sent over some photographs (above) to show how the Microwood is progressing. David shared that, "On the whole It is looking very promising. Most of the trees are in leaf and those that are not yet have got leaves in bud."
A big thank you to everyone who helped out on the day, we are very excited to see the micro-wood grow and take shape. Head over to our social media, where we’ll post updates of the progress.
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