
It’s a new year and the team here at WCH have been keen to get back out into the woods to get stuck in again. This week we joined Cumbria Woodlands and the Woodland Trust near Pennington to plant some saplings in an ancient woodland site.
Our team this time consisted of: Liam, Kappa, Adam and Lucie.
This woodland has lost a few trees over the years and has become pretty sparse in areas. Grazing by animals such as deer has prevented the comeback of these trees. Our mission this week was to help plant a diverse selection of saplings protected with tree tubes and stakes to help this woodland bounce back and thrive once again.
The benefits of restoring these ancient woodlands include:
- Natural flood management.
- Preventing soil erosion.
- Providing nesting areas for birds and a home for other woodland animals.
- Berries and seeds for woodland animals to feed on.
- Nectar and pollen for insects.

In total we planted around 200 saplings, a mix of Oak, Birch, Crab apple and Hazel.
We utilised a mix of understory and canopy species to help bring variety and biodiversity back to the woodland. Canopy trees are trees that grow pretty tall, their crowns will often meet to form a thick canopy that covers and provides protection to the woodland below. Understory trees grow beneath the canopy providing shade and shelter for other woodland plants and animals.

Angus from Cumbria Woodlands gave us a talk through on how to plant our saplings.

Kappa and Lucie walk us through how to plant a tree.

I don’t think we could have chosen a better day for it!












Our glorious saplings ready to thrive.

Thanks for looking, be sure to check back soon for future projects.