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Pioneering North Yorkshire woodland secures £128,000 grant

Hagge Woods Trust has secured funding for its running costs over the next four years, following a grant of £128,000 from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

Hagge Woods Trust was established in 2013 to transform a 25-acre section of Escrick Park Estate, near York, from arable land into the region’s largest new public woodland.

The Three Hagges Wood-Meadow already has 200 native plant species. Scientists from the University of York are among those carrying out research on an ecosystem that now includes insects, birds, small mammals, bats, reptiles, microscopic soil dwellers, as well as the fungi and flora essential to a healthy soil.

Rosalind Forbes Adam, Chair of the Trustees, said: “We are very grateful to Esmée Fairbairn and this confirms the value of our work. We can now create educational and community events so everyone can learn about the fragility of this wildlife ecosystem and help to preserve it.

“There will be opportunities to volunteer and local companies that care about the future of the environment can get involved. The Three Hagges Wood-Meadow is a model for the many farmers, communities, schools and land managers that want to create similar wood-meadow systems,” said Rosalind.

Patron Professor George Peterken OBE, the UK’s leading forest ecologist, said: “There has been a dramatic loss of meadow and coppice woodland over the last century. We have created a wood-meadow that is one of the richest and most attractive habitats in temperate Europe.

“Creatures that depend on such habitat will now thrive. It will be available for research, education and enjoyment. This funding from Esmée Fairbairn ensures our future,” he added.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .