Call to residents to help create wildlife haven in Devon

A mission to plant 13,000 trees to create a new "haven for wildlife" will take a major step forward this month.

Hundreds of people are expected to take part in a series of mass plantings at Yonder Oak Wood near Exmouth, Devon.

Starting on Saturday, the planned plantings have already inspired a "real sense of community", the Woodland Trust said.

Site manager Paul Allen said trees were a "great natural solution" to the climate crisis.

Mr Allen added: "Creating a new wooded landscape that will host wildlife way beyond our lifetimes and be resilient to the changing climate is no mean feat."

He spoke of a "decades-long journey" to bring wildlife back to the site, dubbed Yonder Oak Wood after a public vote.

By soaking up carbon dioxide and delivering oxygen, the new trees will help counter climate change, he added.

The trust's Rachel Harries said the task had evoked a "real sense of community" with people "wanting to get involved".

"Imagine how exciting it will be, in five or ten years' time to come back and say, 'I planted this wood'," she added.

Those attending will be serenaded by troubadours The Songfishers, who live nearby, the trust said.

Sitting in a hidden valley two miles north of Exmouth, the site, which was cleared of invasive laurel last year, is already home to "stately veteran oak trees".

The first new tree was planted last year, laying the foundation for a tapestry of "woods, open glades and wood pasture".

These in turn will become a "rich mosaic of habitats" for wildlife, the trust said.

The Woodland Trust was awarded a grant of £750,000 by Biffa Award to help purchase the woodland, while a public appeal bolstered funds.

Plantings are planned throughout February.

With no parking on site, free minibuses will run from Exmouth or people can walk or cycle.

The first events are due on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 15:30 GMT.

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